Renard D'Or
by Jade Daniels
Summary: In this universe, Andros and Zhane are gone, Karone is evil, so who's left to save the world? *COMPLETE!*
1. Sea of Gold

**Disclaimer:** _Power Rangers aren't mine. And I borrowed a few of the Kerovian Rangers' names from "The Lark and The Wren" by Mercedes Lackey. Hopefully no one is going to sue me for that....... But the character Marie Fox more or less belongs to Greeneyes. Please do not use without permission._

**Author's Notes:**_ This series is dedicated to Greeneyes, who let me use her character Marie Fox for this. This was suppose to start out as a short piece, but idea piled on idea.... and well, this is what resulted. Continuity from after the Power Chamber was destroyed is well, pretty much moot. 'Renard D'Or' means 'Golden Fox' in French. You'll find out why I used it in the story. Thanks to Cynthia for beta-reading this._

### Sea of Gold  
by: Jade Daniels

_"I won't leave you!" she cried, her voice somehow making itself heard above the noise of the surrounding explosions. The air was thick with dust and smog; thankfully her visor could see clear through the obstruction. All around her, people were dying, the smell of blood tainted the air. There had been nothing that she could do for them, but she wasn't about to let one of her best friends die as well. _

"You have to!" He took a hold of her hand, "With Zhane gone, you're the fastest one of us left... Hellfires, the only one of us left." The pain in his voice was evident. She knew it was hard for him as leader, to see their friends fall. Dark Specter's forces had been incredibly brutal, ravaging the planet of all it's resources. "Please Marie, you've got to go! Don't make me order you......" 

She sighed, nodding in defeat, knowing that he was right. How she wished that he wasn't. Holding up her hand, she cried, "Galaxy Glider, Hang Ten!" A gold colored hoverboard appeared in the air, stopping just long enough for her to hop onboard. She turned back to her friend, "I will come back. I promise." 

"I know. Now go!" She saw him head into battle once more. 

With a rush of air, she sped away, searching the galaxy for the help her world needed. How was she to know, that she wouldn't be back in time? 

Marie woke up in a cold sweat, tears running down her face. Closing her eyes, she ran a hand through her long red hair, trying to calm herself. It had been _that_ dream again. Night after night, the nightmares plagued her, forcing her to relive what had been done three years ago: the day when her world had been forever destroyed at the hands of Dark Specter. 

It had taken the Gold Astro Ranger four days to get to Eltar and back. But during that time, Dark Specter's forces had wreaked havoc upon her world. It had been too late when she had finally returned with the promised help. She had returned to a devastated world: cities had been crushed to rubble, and homes had been burned to nothing but ashes. Her friends and family, they were all gone. 

Marie had burned many a funeral pyre that night, amongst which had been her fellow Rangers: Kara - Pink Ranger, Reshan - Blue Ranger, Erdric - Green Ranger, and Gwyna - Yellow Ranger. She hadn't been able to find the bodies of two of her other friends: Andros and Zhane. Either they had been so destroyed that she hadn't recognized them, or..... The other thought was too horrible, but there were all kinds of species in the universe, including those who ate dead bodies. No, it had been preferable to think that they were burned to ashes by now, hopefully at peace. 

After finding her home lost, she had decided that she would travel amongst the stars. It was the only thing left for her to do. Power Rangers left without a team were often found traveling in space, usually as mercenaries. In the back of her mind, Marie knew that this plan was really only to seek out Dark Specter's people, and make them pay for what they had done. It was the only thing that she could do until her hands found their way around the monster's throat. 

Sighing, she finally slid out of bed. The past had to be left there, behind her. One of these days, she would have to face forward, towards the future. Until then....... _Until then, revenge is all that I have._ A picture on her desk caught Marie's attention on her way to her bathroom. It was of seven people: the Rangers of KO-35. The Gold Astro Ranger ran a finger over it, delicately. "Somehow, I'll make that bastard pay.... one of these days." With those thoughts, she took herself to the bathroom. 

She emerged in a slightly better frame of mind, ready to face the day. Walking down the Megaship's hallways, she headed for the bridge. The Megaship was a large ship, one of the finest built by the people of Eltar. Capable of housing many people, it had the technology to make life fairly comfortable: a Synthetron for food, a Simulator Room for recreation and training, as well as it's own medical bay. It was originally designed as a travel ship for merchants, but had been given to the Gold Ranger for her own mission. _They hadn't liked it, trying everything short of outright coercion to stop me. But once they knew they couldn't, they decided that it was better for me to be well-equipped, thus standing some sort of chance of doing something against Dark Specter._ But this place was no home for her, only an instrument in the destruction of Dark Specter. And she would be the one to wield it. 

It was with these thoughts that the Gold Ranger arrived on the bridge. The bridge wasn't very big, but it was efficient. In the original design, it needed only five people to operate all the functions of the bridge. For Marie's use though, the Eltarians had reformatted the controls for a single person. That's where DECA came in. "DECA, have the Aquitarians located a suitable source of fuel yet?" 

The Digital Encrypted Computerized Automaton, or DECA, was the Megaship's aritificial intelligence, or A.I. computer. She was the first of her kind, created to serve the Rangers like an Alpha droid would. It was she who actually performed many of the functions of the ship, lessening much of Marie's workload. Unfortunately, she hadn't been much help in locating Dark Specter, only his flunkies. 

"Yes," the small camera lit up. It was the only physical indication, besides the voice, of DECA's presence, "It should take three days to arrive." 

"Alright, thanks," nodded Marie, mentally reviewing her plans for the rest of the week. She was glad that it wouldn't take much longer before the fuel arrived. Four days ago, she had made a request to the Aquitarians for some fuel for the Megaship. Unfortunately, their water-based fuel hadn't been compatible with the ship's systems. So, she had been invited to stay on the planet until a suitable source could be found. 

She had opted to stay in her quarters on the ship, but planned to explore the cities of the water planet. Once she had landed, she had been greeted by the current White Ranger, a female named Delphine. She had been pleasant to talk to; a definite leader for her group. To Marie's surprise there had also been a human, Billy Cranston. She had found him quite handsome, with the brains to match his looks. He was also quiet - at least, he never spoke much to her. Upon inquiry, Delphine had supplied a few more details about him: he was from Earth, having been a Ranger there himself once. After having a chance to explore the stars, he decided to remain on Aquitar to continue his studies of space. 

But that was all that the White Ranger would tell her. Even with such little information, Marie found herself drawn to Billy. However, after their initial meeting, she hadn't seen hide nor hair of him in the past four days. In her mind, there was only one explanation for that: he was avoiding her. 

Never one to give up on a mystery, Marie decided that she would find out why he was avoiding her. Leaving the Megaship, she set out to search for Billy. It didn't take long; she found him in the center domes, looking over visuals of the other domes of the Aquitarian city. Quietly coming up behind him, she tapped his shoulder. 

"Billy." 

He turned to face her, his face registering surprise. "Marie." 

Besides being one never to give up on a mystery, she was also never one to putter around an issue. She put her hands on her hips, "You've been avoiding me." 

He looked slightly guilty, "No I haven't." 

"Billy, I'm the only human on this planet besides you. You'd think that we'd at least be sitting down and having some sort of talk. And, you're the one who's been doing a lot of the searching for possible fuel for the Megaship. Yet, I haven't seen you at all in the past few days," she stared him down, "If you don't call that avoidance, I'd like to know what is." 

He looked away, muttering, "Even after four years, it still hurts." 

"What?" 

"You're a Gold Ranger," he finally said. 

She frowned, "What does that have to do with anything?" 

"A few years ago," he began, "I had a chance to become a Ranger again. A _Gold_ Ranger......" 

Realization dawned upon her, "You....you didn't get the Powers?" 

"No, I didn't." He gave a rueful laugh, "If you can believe it, it was because of negative protons. I hadn't even known such a thing existed....... It repelled the powers; my body couldn't take them. In the end, someone else was called upon to take them instead. I ended up in the backseat, watching my friends do battle." 

"And me being a Gold Ranger brought that up again....." she said quietly. "Billy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I'll be leaving soon anyway; DECA told me that a fuel supply is arriving in three days. You don't have to worry about avoiding me anymore." 

"No," his voice was so soft, she almost didn't hear it. 

She looked at him curiously, "No?" 

"No, don't go just because I've been an idiot," he clarified, "It was a long time ago, and I thought that I was over it. I guess not. But now that I've talked to you, it's a bit better." 

"You sure?" Marie wasn't convinced. It would be hard for anyone to get over something like that. 

Billy smiled, nodding. "Yeah." He held out his hand, Marie recognized it as a Terran gesture of friendship, "Friends?" 

She took his hand, smiling, "Friends." 

Over the next three days, the two of humans got to know one another better. They exchanged many stories about their times as Rangers for their respective planets. Billy found out about Marie's mission, while she found out the real reason he had come to Aquitar. 

"I wasn't happy," he explained, "It's not that they meant to, but sometimes, I felt like I was an outsider. Even still being a part of everything, it wasn't the same. I just wasn't a Ranger anymore, no matter how hard I tried to make up for it. So, when the Aquitarians offered to have me stay on the planet, I immediately accepted." 

"And Cestria?" asked Marie, still not sure how the young female added into the equation. 

"What I told my friends was true, though not completely. Cestria wasn't the main reason I chose to stay on Aquitar, although she and I, were in love," smiled Billy, "But for me, it was the Florence Nightingale type." Seeing Marie's confused look, he explained, "It's when you mistake gratefulness for love. And as for Cestria, she fell for me because I was different. It was a kind of adventure for her; she didn't realize it then. After a year, we both realized that it wasn't working, and wouldn't work, no matter what we tried. So, we broke up." 

"But why stay on Aquitar," she asked, "Are you happy here?" 

He nodded, "Aquitar gets a lot more oxygen breathers than you'd realize. So I don't have to worry about developing gills or anything. And, I'd get to meet a lot more species this way. I have been to other planets, but in a way, this has become a second home to me." 

She smiled, "I envy you; you're happy." 

***

When the fuel arrived on the appointed day, Marie knew that her stay on Aquitar was ending. She found herself realizing that she was going to miss the place; she hadn't felt such peace in a long time. _And most of that was due to Billy. He's a great listener...... I'd **almost**stay here, just because of his friendship. But there are other things I must do, and even his friendship isn't going to stop me._

The Gold Ranger quickly fueled up the Megaship, unable to prolong the inevitable. She wanted to say goodbye to Billy, knowing that by doing so, it'd probably be the last that she would ever see of him. He was easily found in the communications room in the Main City. A lot of time had been spent by the two humans there during Marie's stay. Billy was peering intently at a viewscreen; the picture on it looked very fuzzy. Marie could barely make out what it was supposed to be. 

"What are you doing?" she asked, coming up beside him. 

"Trying to clear this up," he replied absently, typing out commands on his console, "The UAE channels never were the best........" 

Marie looked at him strangely. _Did he just mention the United Alliance of Evil?_ "Wait a minute, you're getting this on UAE channels? How?" 

"They're broadcasting whatever this is on all levels. Basically, that means that anyone with the proper equipment can receive this. Although why, I don't know," he answered, "It's coming in from the Cimmerian planet. Actually, we've managed to intercept some signals before like this." 

Suddenly a woman's voice came in through the speakers, "And then I found the location of the Power Chamber!! And with this little finger, I destroyed them all!!" Billy looked pale, and continued to type in commands. Marie frowned, recognizing the name of the Earth Ranger base. _Did that woman destroy the Rangers of Earth? How could she have done that?_ While it may have been a backwater planet, Earth was well known for having kept off attackers for many years now. To have someone boast so confidently that they had managed what should have been the impossible........ The words reminded her of the destruction of KO-35. _So many said that we couldn't be taken down either._

"Come on......" A few pushes of buttons, and the picture cleared up considerably. Marie's eyes widened as she saw what was on the screen. 

"Whoa....." whispered Billy, clearly as shocked as she was. 

On the screen showed what had to be a Ranger's worst nightmare: a gathering of evil beings. Marie recognized a good lot of them: Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd, the Machine Empire, as well as the Space Pirate Divatox. _She was the one boasting,_ Marie realized. It was certainly the largest group of villains that she had ever seen; it was amazing that they weren't at each other's throats. At the moment, they were all seated along a large banquet table, clearly enjoying some sort of feast. Suddenly, a large monstrosity appeared in front of the group. Simply put, it was a giant lava monster. 

"Dark Specter....." Marie gasped as she saw the face of her old foe. 

"Welcome," the gravelly voice said, "Today is a day of great achievement!" A hologram appeared on his right. She heard Billy gasp beside her. Marie immediately recognized it as Zordon, or rather, Zordon stuck inside a tube. "Today, I hold captive the great wizard Zordon!!" Laughter and cheers punctuated his statement. "His power shall be a great addition to my own!" 

"A toast! To Dark Specter!!" cried out Lord Zedd. Each of the villains cheered, and raised their glasses. Another large cheer sounded, and they all greedily drank their lava juice. As the goblets were set back down onto the table, everyone noticed that one remained full. All heads turned towards the end of the banquet table, where one being sat, cloaked in a brown robe. 

Divatox sneered over at the stranger, "What are you, too good to drink with us??" 

"Who are you?" demanded Queen Machina, standing up. 

The stranger simply responded by standing up and removing it's cloak, revealing..... 

"Andros?!?" gasped Marie, seeing the Red Astro Ranger standing proudly at the end of the table. 

Billy looked at her strangely, "You know that guy?" She barely nodded, continuing to stare at the screen. 

The villains meanwhile decided that a Ranger intrusion had to be dealt with. And if capture was possible, so much the better. Putties, Tengas, Cogs, and Piranatrons were all sent to deal with the intruder. But the Red Ranger easily kicked, clay, feathered, mechanical and fish butt. However, he didn't teleport out after the battle was over; he just stood in the center of the room, completely still. 

Laughter sounded from the far end of the banquet table. All eyes were turned to a young woman, who was standing up from her seat. She was very beautiful, with purple curls falling down her back, and piercing blue eyes. Her silver armor shone against the tight black leather underneath. As she held out her left hand, a large silver staff appeared. Smiling, she walked over to the still unmoving Red Ranger. 

"As you can see Dark Specter," she said, her voice smug, "_My_ Red Ranger is more than a match against _their_ flunkies." She waved a hand to indicate the now useless foot soldiers. 

"Did she say what I thought she did?" whispered Marie. She gripped the edge of the console as she felt her knees go weak. She couldn't believe it, Andros, working for Dark Specter? It had to be some sort of trick. If not, then he was being coerced into doing so. 

"Very good Astronema," Dark Specter's voice indicated approval, "This was an excellent demonstration." 

"Demonstration?!?" exclaimed Divatox, "For what?" 

"I am sending down Astronema to Earth," announced Dark Specter, "She will be ensuring the Alliance's claim upon the planet. I do not want any more Rangers appearing there." 

Divatox began protesting, but Dark Specter shot her such a dark look that she immediately shut up. Astronema, still smiling, turned to her master and bowed. 

"Thank you for this honor." With that, the screen went blank. 

Marie had heard enough. Turning on her heel, she began marching out of the room. 

"Where are you going?" asked Billy. 

"You heard where Dark Specter ordered her!" She continued to walk out of the room, "That bitch has Andros, and I'm going to get him back!" She would've made it out the door, except for a restraining hand on her arm. Looking behind her, she saw Billy, with a concerned look on his face. 

"I'm coming with you." 

She twisted savagely out of his grip. "No you're not. This is something I have to do _alone_." She began to walk away again. 

"You can't do this alone," argued Billy, coming up beside her, "You need someone with you. And frankly, I'm the best person for the job." 

That was such a ridiculous notion to her that she stopped, turning to look at him. Folding her arms across her chest, she asked, "What makes you say that?" 

"I'm a human from Earth," he replied reasonably, stopping along beside her, "And easily the most qualified of anyone you'll find from here to Earth." 

She shook her head and sighed, "You have no idea what Dark Specter is like!! Billy, I don't want you getting hurt..." 

He looked her straight in the eye. "I won't get hurt," he said quietly, "I've got too much Ranger in me for that. After all, once a Ranger, always a Ranger, no matter what the cause." 

Marie rubbed a hand against her forehead, and sighed in defeat. She really couldn't do without him, that much was obvious..... but could she allow someone else in on this mission of hers? Perhaps, but only if they were properly equipped. "Alright, you make a good argument. As much as I hate to admit it, yeah, you will be good to have along. Well, if you're going to come with me, you might as well go prepared." 

He looked confused, "Pardon?" 

"Follow me." She led him inside the Megaship, down the hallways, until they finally reached a vault. Opening it up, she went inside, taking out a large box. Slowly, with great care, she opened up the box. Billy could see inside, there were five devices. They looked similar to the Zeo morphers his friends had used before. Marie handed him one of the devices. 

"What is it?" he asked, taking the cell-phone like object into his hands. 

Marie smiled softly, "It's the Silver Digimorpher. It belonged to the Silver Ranger of KO-35, Zhane. He was one of my best friends, and a great fighter. I know that he would be proud to have you wear his color." 

Billy's eyes widened, "Um..... thanks. I'm honored." 

"Try it out," suggested Marie, "The sequence is 2-5-8-0." She hoped that he would be able to accept these powers. The Astro powers were different from Zeo technologies, but there were no guarantees that they wouldn't react to Billy the same way. 

She knew that Billy was having similar thoughts; taking a deep breath, he punched in the sequence of numbers. There was a flash of silver light, and there stood the Silver Astro Ranger. Marie smiled with relief, glad that Billy was able to take on the Astro Powers. Billy took off his helmet, smiling. "Never thought I'd wear one of these again." 

"It looks good on you," Marie replied softly. "Well, at least I feel better about letting you come. We'll make our goodbyes to the Aquitarians, then leave." 

Within a few hours, the two Astro Rangers were ready to leave. Billy wasn't sure how the Aquitarians would take to his sudden departure. After all, he had been living on the planet for the past four years. It was odd, but during that time, it had become a home for him. But Earth, his real home, was in danger; he had to help. 

"It is a shame that you will be leaving us Billy," said Cestro when he heard the news. "But as you said, it cannot be helped. Your world is in danger; you would not be a Ranger if you did not want to help." 

"Yes Billy," agreed Delphine, "We will all miss you, but you are needed elsewhere now." 

"Thank you," smiled Billy, hugging each of the Rangers in turn, "Thank you for everything that you've done for me." He turned to Marie, "We ready to go then?" 

She nodded, "Your stuff is packed on the Megaship. I don't see why we couldn't leave by the end of the day." To the Aquitarians, she said, "I want to thank you too. Without you, my ship would be coasting on fumes now." 

"It was our pleasure," smiled Cestro, "And you will return?" 

"Of course," assured Marie, as she hugged each of the Rangers herself, "We will return, one day." 

***

The next few days passed by uneventfully for the Gold and Silver Rangers. Most of that time, Marie spent with Billy, showing him everything about the Megaship. He was a quick learner, as Marie found out easily. He was able to master each system within a few short hours of her teaching them to him. Along with that, the two were busy training on the Simu-Deck. You couldn't tell that Billy was a few years out of practice by the way he continued to kick monster butt. 

"You're doing pretty well," approved Marie, watching as Billy took down another set of monsters. As the last one 'died', the training grid vanished, leaving the two Rangers in the small room. 

"Thanks," he replied, breathing a bit heavily, "I kept up some of my training while on Aquitar. Never really thought I'd actually use it again though." 

"It's always better to be prepared," said Marie as they headed up to the bridge. "You tend to save more lives that way." 

"Approaching vessel detected," announced DECA as soon as the two Rangers arrived on the bridge. They looked at each other in surprise. 

"Well, I'm not expecting any visitors," Marie said, as she checked her console, "Are you?" 

Billy shook his head, "Not as far as I know." He checked his scanners, "Well, this is interesting, it's a NASADA shuttlecraft." 

"Na... what?" asked Marie, confused. 

"It's an Earth designation," explained Billy, "NASADA is a space organization based in the U.S. on Earth. This is one of their shuttlecrafts; it won't pose any danger to us. Heck, the Megaship is at least ten times more advanced than that shuttle." 

"What about whoever is inside it?" Marie wasn't about to take any chances, not when she was well on her way to getting Andros back. "I don't want to bring that ship inside until we know for sure that it's not a danger. I'll find a place we can tow it to." Checking her console again, she quickly found what she was looking for. She brought it up on the viewscreen, revealing a planet made up mostly of red rock, and with a breathable atmosphere. "Let's take it there. We'll meet with whoever is inside, morphed." 

Billy frowned, clearly thinking that she was being over-cautious. But he nodded, "Alright. Setting the tracker beam, now." He pressed a button, setting the energy beam onto the shuttle. With a small smile for her victory, Marie ordered DECA to head for the planet. 

***

They had taken refuge amongst the stars, hoping that somewhere they would find the help they needed. But there was an air of depression and disappointment surrounding the four teenagers inside the shuttlecraft. T.J. could feel it clinging to him like a shadow. Looking at the others, he could see that they were alone with their own thoughts; the events of the past few hours were finally catching up to them. _The Power Chamber......gone. Blown away in a single blast by Divatox. It seems, impossible. Some leader I turned out to be. Couldn't even keep our team longer than a year. And Alpha....._ He turned to look at the little robot, now really nothing more than a mess of wires and plating. 

A shrill alarm interrupted his thoughts, bringing all the Rangers back to reality. Out of the main windows, they could see a large ship looming over them. Clearly not of Earth design, it was unlike anything that any of them had seen. Carlos and Ashley immediately scrambled for the controls, trying to figure out what to do. 

"Someone want to tell me just what is that?" asked Cassie, a worried look on her face. 

"Wish I could tell you, but I have no idea," replied Carlos, shaking his head, "But they just locked some sort of beam onto us. We're being pulled.... somewhere." 

"It looks like onto that planet," said Ashley, reading from her instruments. "Doesn't look inhabited. Of course, it doesn't look very hospitable either. But, it's got a breathable atmosphere." 

"There's nothing we can do then until we get to the planet," said TJ, "Let's just hope whoever these guys are, they're friendly. The last thing we need is another villain breathing down our necks." 

The others nodded silently; hope and dread warring on their faces. 

***

The landing came sooner than expected for the four ex-Rangers. Much to their relief, the large ship had brought them down gently on the planet's surface. Now they could only wait for the owners of the ship to reveal themselves. They didn't have long to wait; within a few minutes, the ship's doors had opened, and two figures walked down the ramp. 

TJ could feel his jaw drop, "Rangers?" He couldn't believe his eyes, two Power Rangers - Gold and Silver - right before his eyes. It was practically a miracle! 

"Whoa," whispered Cassie beside him, "This was something unexpected." 

"Well, let's go out and greet them!" said Carlos, already pushing pass them to get out of the doors. 

***

Marie was relieved to see that it had been humans occupying the shuttlecraft as she watched four teenagers exit from it. They were young, each dressed in a dominant color. They're clothing was full of holes and rips, as if they had gone through a major battle, and lost. The four approached carefully towards them. Finally, one stepped forward, dressed in red. He took a measuring look at her and Billy. Marie immediately guessed that he was the leader. 

"You're Power Rangers, right?" he asked. Marie nodded, since that much was obvious. He looked visibly relieved. "We need your help. We are - were the Rangers from Earth. I don't know if you know about this, but Divatox destroyed our base there. We're without powers now." 

"So you need help to defend Earth," said Billy, nodding. He looked at them carefully, "I thought I knew the Rangers of Earth, yet you do not look like them. How is it that you came into your powers?" 

"We were chosen for it," replied the young man, "The previous Rangers, they were retiring, so we took their place." 

"Their names and colors please?" asked Billy. Marie understood what the Silver Ranger was doing; he was making sure that these teenagers were who they said they were. Even if it was unlikely that they were lying, they had to make sure. There was too much at stake. 

"Tommy Oliver - Red Ranger, Tanya Sloan - Yellow Ranger, Adam Park - Green Ranger, and Katherine Hilliard - Pink Ranger," the young man replied promptly, "Justin Stewart, he was the Blue Turbo at the time, and continued with us. He remained on Earth when we had left to find Divatox." 

Suddenly, the young woman in yellow charged up beside the leader. Placing her hands on her hips, she said, "Look, are you going to question us all day? We don't have time for that! There are people on Earth that need our help! Without Rangers, they're just sitting ducks. I mean, who knows when the next villain will decide to plummet Angel Grove? And Alpha, he needs our help too...... he's very damaged." 

"Alpha?" Billy's voice registered surprise, echoing Marie's. There weren't many people outside of the Rangers ever knew of the Alpha droids. That could only mean one thing - that these people were telling the truth. 

The young woman nodded, "Yeah, he's in the shuttle." 

"We'll load the shuttle onto the docking bay," said Marie, having made up her mind, "You four can rest up inside the Megaship. We'll tell you everything we know then." 

"You'll help us then?" asked the young man. 

"Yes," Marie replied softly, "That's what Rangers do." 

***

With some guidance, Billy helped the ex-Green Ranger (Carlos, as he was soon told), navigate the NASADA shuttle into the docking bay. The other three (TJ - Red, Ashley - Yellow and Cassie - Pink), waited anxiously inside the Megaship for his prognosis on Alpha. Still morphed, he quickly made some adjustments to the little robot. 

"He isn't the same one that I knew," he said, presenting the ex-Rangers with their friend, "But the mechanics are pretty much the same. His voice chip was damaged beyond repair, so I replaced it with a new one." 

"Ay, yi, yi, yi, yi! Thank you Silver Ranger," exclaimed Alpha, happy to have himself functioning properly again. 

Billy chuckled, "No problem. You sound a lot like my old friend Alpha 5 now." He then turned to Marie, pointing lightly to his wrist. Almost imperceptibly, she nodded. 

The Gold Ranger turned to the ex-Rangers. "You've trusted us with your identities, it's time that we do the same for you," she said. Raising her hands to either side of her helmet, she flicked open the latches. In a single sweeping motion, she took off the helmet, revealing herself. 

"You're human!" exclaimed Ashley, eyes wide with surprise. 

Marie's mouth quirked a little, "Not all humans were born on Earth. My name is Marie, I'm from KO-35." 

Billy then took off his helmet, "I'm Billy Cranston. I am from Earth." 

T.J. took a careful look at him, "You were the first Blue Ranger!" At Billy's surprised look, he explained, "I went through some of the history profiles of the previous Ranger teams. Yours came up as the Triceratops Ranger." 

"Yes," Billy replied, a shadow darkening his eyes. But as quickly as it came, it left. "Those were good times." He shook his head, "But right now, we've got more things to worry about than my past." 

"Exactly," said Marie, bringing out a familiar box. Billy suspected that she had taken it from the vault while he had been repairing Alpha. "Here," she handed each of the teens a morpher, "The code sequence is 3-5-2." Obligingly, they each entered in the sequence. In flashes of blue, pink, black and yellow, they each morphed into their respective Ranger suits. Smiling faces were revealed as each of the new Rangers took off their helmets. 

"This is awesome, truly awesome," breathed Ashley. 

"I'm a Pink Ranger again!" laughed Cassie. 

"Styling Black for me," grinned Carlos. 

"You look good in Blue TJ," said Billy, when the new Blue Ranger didn't say anything. 

TJ turned to look at Billy, "You don't mind?" 

"Not in the least," assured the Silver Ranger, "I mean, look at the color I get to wear now!" 

TJ chuckled, looking relieved, "Then I'm happy in my color." 

"You've got a full team again Marie," said Cassie. 

Marie smiled softly, "Almost." 

Billy put his arm around her shoulders, "We'll help you get Andros back, I promise." 

She nodded, already feeling better. In a burst of inspiration, she put her right hand out. Billy followed, putting his hand on top of hers. TJ was next, followed by Cassie, Ashley and Carlos. As one, they all jumped up, crying out an age old verse. 

"Power Rangers!!" 


	2. The Search Goes On

**Disclaimer:** _Saban owns the Power Rangers, Greeneyes owns Marie Fox. What do I own? This story I guess. ^_^_   
  


**Author's Notes: **_Because I didn't mention it in "Sea of Gold", 'Renard D'Or' is French for 'Golden Fox'. If you can see why that title was chosen, brownie points to you!! Thanks as always, go to Cynthia for beta reading. ^_^_   
  


**The Search Goes On**

**by: Catherine Lee**   
  


The room was swept in a wash of dark purple, just the way she liked it. Brightness had never seemed to suit her; she had spent most of her life training in the dark. There was no reason to begin changing now. In front of her was a giant viewscreen; at the moment it was as dark as the rest of her surroundings. At a nod from her, a switch was thrown, and the screen came to life, piercing the darkness with its harsh light. Upon the screen came the face of a lava-encrusted entity. Astronema, the Princess of Evil, bowed in deference to her master.   
  


"Astronema," Dark Specter's gravelly voice greeted his servant, "Report on your progress."   
  


She smiled, "Everything is going according to plan Lord Specter. The Dark Fortress in en route to Earth; our E.T.A. is two weeks. All preparations shall be completed by then. And Earth _will_ fall under the hand of evil."   
  


"Good," Dark Specter nodded, "But you must remain on your guard. My spies have alerted me to a new development; the Gold Astro Ranger was seen on Aquitar recently. You know what she has done to us in the past with her little raids. She has recruited a new Silver Ranger from the water planet; we have not yet learned his identity. It is also possible that she has learned of your Red Ranger; it will give her an added incentive to come to Earth, trying to reclaim him. And remember, there are those Rangers that Divatox did not finish destroying on Earth. They are likely to get in your way."   
  


"Two Rangers, and five powerless ones will not hinder my seizing of this planet Dark Specter," she said stiffly, "I _will_ guarantee that." Astronema had the utmost confidence in her abilities. She would not fail.   
  


"Make sure of that Astronema. I do not tolerate failure," he said, the obvious threat to her life hanging in his voice. "I have assigned Divatox to the guarding of Zordon," he went on, oblivious to Astronema's thoughts. The Princess raised an eyebrow, wondering why that idiot was being charged with such an important job. Whether Dark Specter noticed her silent questioning wasn't shown as he continued to speak, "He will be kept in safe locations while I drain him of his powers. Already there are forces well aware of his disappearance and are on the search for him."   
  


Astronema nodded slowly, having expected this. It would have been ridiculous if Eltar wasn't doing something to try and save one of their greatest Morphin' Masters. "Where is Zordon being located now?" She thought it prudent to have all the required information regarding the holding of the Eltarian wizard.   
  


"That is none of your concern," snapped Dark Specter. Astronema was taken aback; why was she not being allowed to know where Zordon was being held? Did Dark Specter not trust her anymore? The lava entity's eyes glowed as he snapped out his next words, "Your job is to make sure that _nothing_ gets in the way of the takeover of Earth." With that, the screen went blank.   
  


Astronema growled, tossing her blue curls in frustration. There was no reason for Dark Specter not to have absolute faith in her. Wasn't she chosen to be the heir to the Alliance of Evil, even above Dark Specter's own granddaughter? She was better than all the rest; that was the reason why she had been chosen for this mission in the first place. Hadn't she proved that with her Red Ranger? Certainly no one else had managed to keep an evil Ranger for as long as she had, not even that stupid Rita Repulsa with her notorious Green Ranger. Well, if she had to prove herself again, she would.   
  


* * *   
  


Ashley bounced lightly on the mattress of her new bed. While it wasn't a featherbed, it was better than she had expected. The room she had been assigned was nice, although a bit small. The bed was lined against the far wall, with a large desk opposite to it. At the foot of the bed resided a small dresser, and beside that, a closet. The closet at first had contained only her shipboard uniforms, but that had changed quickly enough once Ashley had put in her own clothing. The remaining wall had a door that led to the bathroom. At first the room had seemed unbearably spartan, but a few knicknacks picked up from home had brightened the place up considerably.   
  


Leaving her room, the Yellow Astro Ranger reviewed the events that had happened over the past few days since the Rangers had arrived on Earth. Already, so many things had happened. Marie and Billy had given the new Rangers a tour of the Megaship, where they had learned all the intricacies of running the starship. It had all been fairly straightforward, much like the Power Chamber had been, and they had picked up the basics in no time at all. The only thing that bugged Ashley was the Synthetron, a machine that was supposed to produce the food, like something straight out of Star Trek. She wasn't entirely certain if she liked that idea.   
  


TJ had been made leader of the team, which hadn't surprised anyone except him. Ashley knew that he still had some guilt leftover from the destruction of the Power Chamber and the loss of the Turbo powers, but didn't know how to talk to the Blue Ranger about that. But it had been evident that TJ hadn't felt worthy of becoming a leader again. He had at the time tried to convince them that either Marie or Billy would be better for the job. Both the Gold and Silver Rangers had declined: Marie because she lacked experience, and hadn't dealt with being part of a team in a long time; Billy because he just lacked the interest to do so. It had been with some reluctance that TJ had finally accepted the job.   
  


They had a new mission objective now besides saving the Earth: finding Zordon. Although they had never met him personally, the new Astro Rangers had been shocked to learn of the capture of their predecessors' mentor. They knew how much he had meant to the old team, and how important he was to the side of Good as a whole. All of them knew it would take all of their resources to locate him.   
  


Her walk had taken her to the Megaship's bridge, where she spotted the Silver Ranger, Billy Cranston staring out at a picture of Earth on the viewscreen. He had been quiet since the Rangers had returned to Earth; Ashley hadn't wondered about it until now. It did seem strange; whereas the rest of the Earth humans had practically rejoiced at coming home, Billy hadn't seemed all that happy about the fact. At least, he hadn't been outwardly expressing any joy the way the others had. Before she entered the bridge though, Marie came in from another entrance. Deciding that the Gold Ranger might be able to talk to Billy better than she could, Ashley continued on her way.   
  


* * *   
  


Home. Billy hadn't realized how much he had missed Earth until now. It was probably because this time, he was back here to stay. Over the past few years he had periodically came back only to visit his parents. They still didn't know about his Ranger activities; he had explained that he had been studying somewhere far away - not that what he said had been far from the truth. Now, he was truly home, and although excited by that fact, there was still some underlying nervousness.   
  


It meant meeting with the others: his old teammates and friends. Billy wasn't sure how he felt about seeing them again. There had been three reasons why he head left Earth in the first place: the first had been Cestria; the second had been his desire to explore the stars. But the third and main reason had been because he had felt not needed by the team anymore. No, it had been more like not _wanted_. It was something that he hadn't ever discussed with anyone, at least, not until he had met Marie. To his amazement, when they had first met, he just told her everything about his fears. Perhaps it had been because she was a stranger, and he was sure that he wouldn't have ever seen her again.   
  


Billy looked up as he saw Marie enter the bridge. The Gold Ranger was for once, not in her ship uniform. Instead, she was dressed casually, in a yellow short-sleeved shirt with a simplistic flower print. Blue jeans and brown penny loafers completed the look. Her red hair had been let loose from its usual tight ponytail, falling in gentle waves around her shoulders. Apparently the lessons that Ashley and Cassie had been giving Marie in Earth fashions had paid off.   
  


"You look great," he said, standing up. He tugged at his silvery-white shirt that the girls had bought for him the day before. He still wasn't entirely comfortable in this colour, but like when he was the Blue Ranger, he couldn't help but wear his Ranger colour.   
  


"And you don't look ready," she replied, looking at him with concern, "You sure you want to take me down to Earth now? I mean, if you want to do this some other time....."   
  


Billy shook his head, "No, now is fine. I was just..... thinking before you came in." He followed her to the jump tube bay, just off of the eating area. As one, they entered inside their respective tubes, teleporting themselves to Angel Grove park.   
  


Angel Grove that day was sunny with clear blue skies; the perfect weather for taking a walk in the park. Billy couldn't help but smile as he looked on his surroundings. Nothing much had changed since he had last been here. As usual, regardless of the danger the park represented, there were plenty of Angel Grove citizens wandering around the area. Children were playing, teenagers were just hanging out, and others were walking like the two Rangers were.   
  


"This is nice," Marie commented, "It reminds me a lot of home."   
  


"Do you ever miss it......being home I mean." asked Billy.   
  


Marie looked thoughtful, "Sometimes. I've never really thought about it actually." She turned her head towards the sun, closing her eyes as she reveled in the warmth on her face, "You know how my life has been the past few years. I haven't given myself the chance to think about it."   
  


The two Rangers continued to walk along in silence, content enough to just enjoy each other's company. As they rounded a group of trees, they came into a small clearing to find a small group of children practicing martial arts exercises. They were being led by a young man wearing a blue tank top and black pants. Billy immediately recognized him: Rocky DeSantos.   
  


"He's good," Marie murmured approvingly as she watched Rocky teaching the children. He slowly went through the kata, kindly helping out the kids who hadn't gotten their forms quite right. There was no yelling, no pressure on the students to be absolutely perfect. She was forcibly reminded of the trainers she used to have while studying to be a Power Ranger.   
  


"Yeah, one of the best," he replied absently, already moving away, "Come on, let's go."   
  


Marie looked at him strangely, "Why?" At Billy's look, she took another glance at the young master, "Do you know him?" Billy nodded silently. "Then why don't you want to go see him?"   
  


"Because I'm not ready," the Silver Ranger answered quietly, shoving his hands into his jean pockets. He hoped that Marie wouldn't ask anymore questions.   
  


She looked at him for a long time before finally nodding, "Alright, let's go." With that, she allowed herself to be led onward. They continued on again in silence, only to have that peace suddenly disrupted by a small animal darting in front of their path. The two Rangers watched as the small red bundle of fur settled itself under a park bench.   
  


"It's a mar-ree!" exclaimed Marie as she got a closer look at the animal.   
  


Billy looked at her in puzzlement, bending down beside the Gold Ranger, "A mar-ree? Looks like a fox to me."   
  


She blinked at him, "On Ker...KO-35, there were animals such as these. They were called mar-ree. Actually, that's where my name came from."   
  


"Mar-ree. Marie." Billy nodded as he made the connection. Suddenly, he smiled as an idea came upon him, "You know what Marie, you might be needing a last name if you're going to be in Angel Grove for a while."   
  


"Last name?" she asked, now the one looking puzzled.   
  


"Uh, sort of a family name," he explained, "It's just something that we use to identify different families, since so many of us have the same sort of names. I was wondering, how would you like to be called Marie Fox?"   
  


"Marie Fox," she murmured slowly. A smile crept upon her face, "I like it. Thank you Billy."   
  


"You're welcome Marie," he replied, throwing an arm around her shoulder. Together they continued their walk through the park.   
  


* * *   
  


Her heels clicked smartly on the metal floor as she entered the room. With a wave of her hand, the ceiling lights flickered to life, shining upon the object of Astronema's attention. The cold light reflected off of his red helmet as he stood in the centre of the room. He was her creation, the Red Ranger. Allowing herself a smug smile, she began circling him, taking in his features.   
  


If he had a name, she had made sure that he had forgotten it long ago with the rest of his memories. Without them, he had become the perfect blank slate for her objectives. At first, he had tried to resist her training, but that hadn't lasted long. Eventually, he had submitted, becoming her slave. The months afterward had been so satisfying as she had reshaped his mind like a piece of clay. He only knew what she had told him now.   
  


Unlike the other villainess within the Alliance, the Red Ranger had not been made her personal slave. She had never intended for him to be. It wasn't that she had no dealings of the physical nature; she just preferred her control through the mind, not through sex. Frankly, it disgusted her sometimes to see captives being used that way. It was almost as if the captors themselves had no control over their own bodies. Besides, it left too much of an imprint; an emotional tie that could be easily exploited. She had known far too many villainess falling in love with those who had been their prisoners. Most of them were now long dead. Astronema had no intention of following in their footsteps.   
  


"Take off your helmet," she commanded. The Red Ranger immediately complied, holding it in his hands. Right now, he was only a puppet, doing as she ordered. Today, she would grant him some independence. There were only a few more days before they arrived on Earth; she would need to have her Red Ranger able to think for himself if he was going into battle.   
  


She smiled as she looked into his expressionless blue eyes. Not much of his appearance had changed from the day she had captured him. His hair had been shaded to an unrelieved black, and grown out to past his shoulders, tied back neatly. Practically everything else had remained the same. Astronema reached into the small cloth pouch she had brought with her. Holding out her hand, she blew a sparkling white powder into his face. The Red Ranger didn't even flinch. She dipped her index finger in the powder, reaching out to his forehead, she then traced a symbol there: a half-circle, the open side facing towards the right; a hook facing towards the left with a circle above the end; and two small lines at the left of the hook.   
  


As she began speaking slowly, Astronema placed her first three fingers in a triangle on his forehead. A purple light began swirling around the Red Ranger, creeping from his feet until finally surrounding his head. Astronema removed her fingers. As the light entered his eyes, they began shining with intelligence. Slowly, as if he was awakening from a dream, he blinked. He looked around curiously before focusing his eyes upon her face. There was a spark of recognition, and for a moment, Astronema thought she saw something else in those eyes. It was gone though before she could make anything of it.   
  


He bowed low. "Princess Astronema," he said, his voice rough with long disuse.   
  


"Red Ranger," she greeted with a nod of acknowledgment. Now, it was time to make sure that the spell had gone as planned. "Who do you serve?"   
  


"You, of course Princess," he answered, looking at her curiously.   
  


"Perfect," she smiled, turning around, "Follow me."   
  


She led him down the long corridors of the Dark Fortress before finally stopping in front of a large pair of metal doors. A simple sweep of her hand at the keypad permitted her entrance. They were greeted with the sight of an expansive training area. It consisted of a large training ring, flooded with white lights. At the center of the training ring stood the crystalline warrior Ecliptor, Astronema's main general. For as long as she could remember, he had been by her side, training her into the warrior that she was today. Now, she would allow those skills to be taught to the Red Ranger.   
  


"Red Ranger, today you are to begin training with Ecliptor," Astronema said, before turning to her general. "I want him in absolute perfect condition before going into battle. If he's going to be facing any Power Rangers, I want my Ranger to win."   
  


"Yes Princess," answered Ecliptor as the Red Ranger stepped forward to meet him.   
  


Astronema smiled, satisfied that Ecliptor would carry out her command. Turning on her heel, she headed out of the training room, the sounds of swords clashing behind her.   
  


* * *   
  


With most of Angel Grove asleep that night, only a few remained on an ever vigilant watch. Cassie Chan was one of those few, having taken the late night shift on the bridge of the Astro Megaship. The numbers and letters that passed on the screen told Cassie nothing. As they kept running by her eyes, she absently made note of the more important ones. Each of the Rangers were required to take on a shift of searching. It wasn't really necessary, DECA could easily do it by herself, or even Alpha. TJ just felt that a pair of human eyes would be helpful on the search as well. Tonight though, Cassie's heart just wasn't in doing the job. It wasn't that she didn't care about finding Zordon, but there was someone else more important to _her_ that she had to find.   
  


The Phantom Ranger.   
  


Months of inactive communication had finally drove the Pink Astro Ranger to action. She just couldn't sit around anymore, not being able to do anything. With all this equipment before her, Cassie had made the decision to take matters into her own hands. If the Phantom Ranger wasn't going to come to her, she would go to him. She had been keeping her search a secret, mostly because she didn't want to be thought of as wasting resources. And, because she didn't want to be thought of a fool.   
  


The back of her mind reminded her of dozens of reasons why the Phantom Ranger wasn't around. None of them were pleasant. _But if he was dead, wouldn't I know it?_ Somehow, Cassie was sure that she would.   
  


"Where are you Phantom?"   
  


* * *   
  


From the shadowed corner around the bridge, a pair of dark eyes watched the Pink Ranger work at her station. A barely audible sigh escaped his lips as her whisper fell upon TJ's ears. _Well, that explains why she's been so depressed lately._ He couldn't blame Cassie for trying to find the Phantom Ranger; the Megaship had the equipment, there was no reason why she shouldn't use it to her advantage.   
  


_And when she finds him, he and I are going to talk._ It made TJ angry to see Cassie like this. The Blue Ranger couldn't understand why the Phantom Ranger continued to stay away when it was so obvious that Cassie cared about him. Even if _he_ didn't want to be with _her_, some sort of explanation was warranted, even if it meant breaking Cassie's heart. At least then she would get some answers.   
  


"I hope you find him soon Cassie," he said softly before walking on his way.   
  


* * *   
  


The next morning was brought on much too early for Carlos' tastes. He had no idea why DECA had called the Rangers to the bridge, awakening them from their much needed rest. The summons hadn't sounded very urgent, like it would have been had the Dark Fortress been spotted, even if they weren't expecting Astronema for another few days. This held more of an edge of anticipation, something on the edge of good news. The Black Ranger stepped onto the bridge to find that the others had already arrived. They all looked about as awake as he felt.   
  


"Alright DECA," yawned TJ, "What did you call us in for?"   
  


"Rangers," the computerized voice began, "Zordon's current location has been found." Everyone was startled alert.   
  


Billy immediately leapt into action, looking over the readouts on the screen, "Where?"   
  


"The signal indicates him to be on the planet Rysha," answered DECA, "It is a small planet in the Mycorsa system."   
  


"Rangers, the Mycorsa system is within the Alliance of Evil territory," informed Alpha, coming towards the group.   
  


"Well, it would figure that they'd keep Zordon inside their space," said Carlos, "But then again, they could just be trying to throw people off the track."   
  


"Someone will have to be sent," said TJ, looking grim, "But we don't have the people to spare. Astronema is due here any day now; we all can't just up and leave. We'd be leaving Earth defenseless."   
  


One voice spoke out, "How about if I just go?"   
  


* * *   
  


While he had been listening to them, memories of his old mentor had begun drifting into his mind. Billy knew that he owed it to Zordon to make the effort to the planet Rysha. It was obvious that the whole team couldn't be sent, as TJ had said, Astronema was due to arrive on Earth any day now. But if even one Ranger could at least scout out the area, and even possibly get Zordon out on their own....... That would be the greatest accomplishment that he could think of.   
  


"How about if I just go?" he said quietly, interrupting all conversation. The other Rangers just looked at him.   
  


"You?" asked Marie.   
  


"Yes," Billy answered in a matter of fact tone, "Frankly, I'm the best candidate. I've got the experience, and I'm the one who's known Zordon the longest. I don't see any reason why I shouldn't go."   
  


"He's right, there is no other person better suited for the job," said Cassie. Carlos and Ashley nodded in agreement. All eyes turned towards TJ.   
  


The Blue Ranger nodded, "Alright Billy, just you."   
  


Billy smiled, "Thanks Teej. But before I go, I need to show you guys something I've been working on." He held up a large black box, neatly connecting it to a control panel. The panel's lights brightened for an instant, before fading back to normal.   
  


"What's that?" asked Ashley peering curiously at the box.   
  


"Zordon's legacy," answered Billy. When the rest of the Rangers looked confused, he explained. "This was something that Zordon had given Alpha 5 a while ago; he passed it onto Alpha 6. It's compatible with about any kind of Eltarian technology. What it did with the Megaship is give it a Zord transformation mode. The NASADA shuttle has been made a part of it; it fits as the head."   
  


"Cool," said Carlos, "Now we're really a match against Astronema and her goons."   
  


Billy spent the next couple of hours explaining how the Zord configuration worked. Unlike the Turbo Zords, there weren't any smaller vehicles that would form the Astro Megazord; the ship would be able to transform itself. The controls were fairly simple, with joystick-like configurations, and the Rangers quickly mastered their workings.   
  


Once all the explanations were through, the Silver Ranger was on his way to Rysha on his Galaxy Glider. Everyone hoped that he would be back with good news.   
  


* * *   
  


"What's this?" murmured Astronema as a signal flared up on her screen. As she checked closer, she realized what the signal meant, and smiled. "So, there are still Rangers on Earth. But, one of them has left; an interesting development." Pressing her hand down on the comm button, she immediately summoned Ecliptor. Within seconds, the crystalline warrior was at her door.   
  


"You summoned me Princess?" he asked.   
  


Astronema nodded, "I have just discovered a Ranger bio-signature leaving Earth's orbit. This means that there will be one less to deal with, which makes this the perfect time to strike out at Earth. I need a strong monster to send down to Angel Grove to begin the gathering of slaves for Dark Specter."   
  


Ecliptor bowed, "I have just such a warrior ready for you Princess. I call forth Hisster!" There was a flash of light, indicating a teleporation, and a snake-based monster suddenly appeared in the room. Without legs, it slithered across the floor towards Astronema, bowing as much as it could. It's crystal red eyes on it's cobra-like head seemed to peer everywhere, glinting with the reflection of the overhead lights. It wore very little in the way of armor: gold bands hung around the head and wrists; a dark brown vest with gold piping was worn around the already protected chest area; and a large gold belt decorated with rubies hung around the waist.   
  


"What can you do?" asked Astronema as she looked over the monster.   
  


"I have poissssonoussss and exploding barbssss that come from my tail, and energy draining ssssnakessss that come from my fingersssss. My neck flapssss emit a hypnotic wave that putsss people under my sssspell," answered the monster.   
  


Astronema smiled as she looked upon the monster. "Yes, you shall do then. Take a legion of Quantrons and begin collecting humans. Your hypnotic wave ought to put them completely under your power." She then turned towards Ecliptor, "You shall go down as well to supervise, and bring the Red Ranger along with you. If the Gold Ranger shows up, have him battle with her."   
  


"Yes Astronema," he answered, leaving the room, with Hisster following behind.   
  


* * *   
  


Three flashes of light appeared in the middle of the downtown area of Angel Grove. Enough experience by the city's citizens quickly had the people running away from the two monsters, and the Ranger who stood by them. Immediately, Hisster opened it's neck flaps, sending out it's hypnotic waves. Slowly people stopped screaming and running away, instead turning towards their new masters. With the help of the Quantrons, Ecliptor and the Red Ranger began herding the hypnotized mass towards a large portal.   
  


"Stop!" a voice suddenly cried out. The three head villains turned to see five Power Rangers standing in formation, weapons in hand. Ecliptor noticed that there were more Rangers than had been expected; Astronema would not be happy with this new development.   
  


"Come with me," the crystalline warrior ordered the Red Ranger and they both vanished to a nearby rooftop.   
  


"Are we not going to fight them Ecliptor?" asked the Red Ranger.   
  


"Not yet," he answered, "Watch, and learn."   
  


The Red Ranger obeyed and observed, watching as Hisster first sent forth the Quantrons against the Power Rangers. The Rangers in turn, plowed through the foot soldiers, splitting up into two teams. One immediately went against Hisster, the other trying to steer away the hypnotized humans. At first, it seemed to the Red Ranger that Astronema's monster would win, but events soon proved otherwise. Through their teamwork, the Rangers managed to defeat Hisster, saving the humans in the process.   
  


Suddenly, large beams of green energy shot down from the sky, hitting the snake-monster. The Red Ranger immediately knew what those were: the Satellasers. As the energy was absorbed by Hisster, it grew, until it's head was at eye-level with the Red Ranger upon the rooftop.   
  


The Red Ranger saw that the Power Rangers were for a moment, shocked still. But, the Blue Ranger suddenly shot out his hand, shouting out, "Astro MegaZord, Online!"   
  


* * *   
  


The planet Rysha was made of mostly of rock, with very little of anything else. Billy made his way carefully through one of the few forests where Zordon's signal had been located. The forests were made up of massive trees, the size of which were rarely ever seen on Earth. Their branches made a ceiling that practically blocked out all the sunlight, leaving little illumination for Billy to use. The underbrush was incredibly thick and dense for a place where there was very little water on the surface. Billy had continuously used his Super Silverizer to cut through it all.   
  


He managed to clear a way to an artificially made clearing, as he soon discovered as he saw Divatox's Piranatrons swiping away trees with their weapons. In the middle of the clearing, he saw the object of his search: Zordon. Billy's saw that his old mentor was trapped inside a transwarp tube, reminding the Silver Ranger of his old days as the Blue Triceratops Ranger.   
  


The place was teeming with monsters, with Divatox at the helm. Billy knew there was no way that he would be able to fight his way through, and manage to free Zordon. That would take the whole team to accomplish that. Before he could leave to report on his progress though, he suddenly heard Divatox's voice.   
  


"Hurry up and finish the packing," the Pirate Queen bellowed, "We've got to get moving to the next planet!! Dark Specter isn't going to like it if we're late!"   
  


The color drained from Billy's face as he realized what Divatox's words meant: this would be his only chance to get Zordon. But dare he risk the loss of the Eltarian wizard if he failed?   
  


* * * 

"This works like a dream!" laughed TJ as he settled himself in the center seat of the Astro MegaZord.   
  


"Then let's give Hisster a nightmare," said Marie as they charged the MegaZord forward.   
  


The Zord battle went like any other, neither monster nor machine gaining any advantage. Both sides traded equal blows, matching strength for strength. Damage was incurred in the surrounding area, but could easily be rebuilt by the Angel Rebuilding Society. This continued on until finally, Hisster made a fatal mistake, allowing the Rangers to call upon the Astro MegaZord Saber. As the final blow was shot, the snake monster fell to the ground, exploding on impact.   
  


"Yeah! All right!" cried Carlos, pumping his fist in the air. Suddenly, there was a strange beeping on one of the control panels.   
  


"What is it?" asked Cassie.   
  


Marie checked her console. "It's Andros' signal," she whispered, barely heard by the others. Before the others could say anything though, Marie leapt out of the Zord to the ground. She looked around, "Where are you Andros?"   
  


Through the rising smoke, the Red Ranger stepped through, his Spiral Saber in hand. His head turned, and she could feel his eyes bearing down upon her. It was her worse nightmare come true. Here she was, about to face off against someone who had once been her friend, confidant, teammate, but now was her enemy. Andros, once the proud leader of the Astro Rangers; she only knew him as Astronema's Red Ranger now. He stood in front of her, silhouetted against the smoke around him.   
  


She waited for him to make the first move; she didn't dare make it herself. As if that thought had set him off, the Red Ranger surged forward, striking out in a pattern she didn't recognize. His entire fighting signature was different!! Marie countered as best she could with her Solar Sais, but she was no match against him. Too soon, the Gold Ranger fell to the ground, the weight of the Red Ranger's foot on her chest.   
  


He looked down at her, deliberately putting more weight on her body. The tip of the Spiral Saber now lay against her throat. "I could easily kill you now," he said all too softly. The coldness of his voice chilled the blood in her veins. Before he could do anything though, an energy blast shot through the air, narrowly missing the Red Ranger's head. Marie could hear the sounds of footsteps running her way.   
  


The Red Ranger chuckled, withdrawing his Saber, "But I won't, not yet anyway. Know this Gold Ranger, you and I are not through yet." With that, he teleported away in a flash of red light.   
  


Breathing heavily, Marie continued to lay on the ground, oblivious to her surroundings. _How can I even hope to bring him back? He's so cold, like there's no feeling left in him at all._ A small voice sneered in the back of her mind. _Or maybe it's that he has no feeling left for **you**. You're the one who left hm to die......._   
  


Her thoughts were interrupted as TJ came up beside her, "Are you alright?"   
  


She nodded, staring at the spot where the Red Ranger had vanished, "Yeah, I'll be fine. Let's go home."   
  


* * *   
  


"The only good thing that came out of this fiasco is that we now have the identities of the Rangers," Astronema said angrily as she dropped a hologram cube into his hands. She had not been happy with Hisster's loss. "Study these well Red Ranger, for when you next meet them, I want you to win." With those words, she left him alone in his new quarters.   
  


Determined to redeem himself in the eyes of his princess, the Red Ranger immediately dropped the hologram cube into the data slot at his desk. Five pictures immediately came up, showing the Blue, Black, Pink, Gold and Yellow Rangers. Since the Silver one had not been in the battle, no one had been able to discover his identity yet. But that would change soon enough. His eyes roamed over each of their faces, committing every nuance to memory. He would learn all of their weakness, and exploit them to his advantage.   
  


As he looked upon the Gold Ranger's face, something about her seemed to spark something within him. He looked at her curiously, wondering what was it about this red-headed woman that brought about such a sense of the familiar. It was almost as if he had known her from somewhere before. The Red Ranger suddenly shook his head, dismissing those thoughts as trivial nonsense. The Gold Ranger was his enemy, that was all that he needed to know.   
  


The last hologram caught his attention, and he brought it out in more detail. It was of Ashley Hammond, the Yellow Astro Ranger. The hologram showed in her absolute perfection, from the gentle waves of her hair, down to the feet that ended her long slim legs. He had watched her fight, and knew that she was a formidable fighter. He smiled; yes, she was a prize worthy of a warrior like himself.   
  


And soon, she would be his.   
  


**Second Author's Note:**_ Thanks to all those who plodded through this. It took me forever and a day to finally be even borderline happy with 'The Search Goes On'. As it is, I'm still not entirely happy with it. But, while not much on the action, a lot of this is setting up for the next fic in the series. With any luck, it should turn out better than this one._/i 


	3. The Enemy Is Near

**Disclaimer:** _Power Rangers belongs to Saban. The characters Marie Fox and Cyndra belong to Greeneyes. Parts of this were inspired by Mercedes Lackey's book, "The Oathbound." /i _   
  


**Author's Notes:** _This begins one week after 'The Search Goes On', approximately two days after Billy has landed on Rysha. I promise that the plot goes along a bit further than 'The Search Goes On' did. All the dates stated are within the same time zone. They were added in just to make this a little less confusing. ^_^ Kerova is the same planet as KO-35, I just thought that the name sounded nicer than a scientific designation. Thanks as usual go to my fave beta-reader, Cynthia. Rating is PG for some slight language. _/i   
  


**The Enemy Is Near**

**By: Jade Daniels**   
  


_***Monday afternoon: Planet Rysha***_

The massive trees entered his field of vision in every direction he looked; they were so huge that not even several adults could surround one with their arms touching. Their branches reached up into the sky, blocking off practically every bit of sunlight, leaving only a few slim beams to reach the forest floor. Large heavy branches snapped at him as he continued to run past the ancient trees. The foot soldiers were catching up to him; he could hear them coming from behind, their fishy murmurs now a constant drone in his ears. His breath was coming out in short gasps; it made him glad that he was morphed. Without his powers, he was sure that they would have caught by now. As it was though, his extra endurance wasn't going to hold out much longer.   
  


He had to find a way out of the forest, but had no idea just how close to the edge of it he was. The planet Rysha was made up mostly of barren rock, but the few forests that decorated the surface were huge, matching the kinds of trees that were produced. The forest floor was practically made up of interlocking tree roots, enough so that it was as if he was running across a bumpy wooden floor. There was barely enough room between the trunks for him to cross, thus making it practically impossible for him to call on his Galaxy Glider.   
  


"I will catch you Silver Ranger," Divatox's voice rang throughout the trees, "And then Dark Specter will have another Ranger to add to his collection; and I'll have a new toy to play with."   
  


Billy Cranston didn't bother to answer as he tried to keep down the bile that was creeping up his throat. The very thought of the Pirate Queen touching him made the Silver Ranger shudder. He may not have had any actual experience dealing with Divatox, but had learned enough to know that she was not someone that he would want to spend any time with at all. He craned his head over his shoulder, looking back to see how much distance he had gained between himself and the Piranatrons.   
  


Perhaps if he had turned his head back a fraction of a second sooner, he would have seen the faintly glowing ring that had suddenly appeared on the path ahead of him. But it was too late by the time he noticed it in front of him; his foot had stepped inside it, thus dragging the rest of his body into the circle. Before Billy realized what was happening, darkness had enveloped him, and he felt as if he was falling.   
  


The feeling soon stopped, with him landing on something soft: a bed. Chains suddenly snapped out from the sides, grabbing onto his wrists and ankles, keeping him firmly where he was. That was when he realized that he was not morphed anymore. On the tail of that realization came a cold dread as he saw how little he was wearing in actual clothing. A throaty chuckle sounded throughout the room. From the shadows stepped forth Divatox, wearing a black rubber full-body suit that unfortunately, left little to the imagination.   
  


She smirked as she looked down at him, "I've been waiting for a chance to test the portal ring. I'm so glad to see that it works. Porto worked so hard on it. You'll notice that you're not morphed; the shielding around this room prevents it. And I'm certainly not about to tell you where your morpher is, Billy Cranston." She licked her lips as her eyes roamed over his body, "First Blue Ranger of Earth, considered the 'brainy' one. The Alliance files never mentioned what a _nice_ body you have."   
  


The Pirate Queen had by then walked up to the side of the bed; she leaned down, until her face was right over his, her arms propped up on either side of him. Her long tongue shot out, licking the Silver Ranger's face. "Hmmm...... you taste good too. I think I'll wait awhile before calling Dark Specter."   
  


* * *   
  


_***Tuesday afternoon: Alliance of Evil Headquarters***_

Dark Specter, leader of the Alliance of Evil growled as he read the latest reports from Earth. Astronema's growing incompetence was trying his patience. Already she had been there for a month, and she hadn't been able to even establish a foothold on the planet. It was becoming such a thorn at his side. Every time it seemed like evil gained an inch, it was pushed back by those irritating Power Rangers. Astronema was now the latest in a long line of failures to capture Earth.   
  


The sudden noise of his door chime broke him out of his thoughts. With a growl, he allowed his door to open. The young-looking woman at the door glided into the room, the spider-silk of her gown never touching the floor. Dark Specter noted this approvingly; her mage abilities had increased since he had last saw her. The Evil Villain Institute for Ladies (E.V.I.L.) had done a good job with her. He watched as she called in a chair for herself, settling in carefully before finally looking up at him.   
  


She wore a face of absolute angelic beauty. So innocent in it's visage that at first sight, no one could ever believe her even capable of evil thoughts. Her eyes were a bright blue, the very focus of her fair-skinned, heart shaped face. Her lips were a light pink, and from them a melodic voice was produced. Gentle waves of honey-blonde hair fell to her slim waist; a shining mass of tresses the envy of practically every villainess in the Alliance. The black spider-silk of her gown clung to every soft curve of her body that showed nothing that shouldn't be there. Dark Specter often wondered just how this vision of innocence could possibly be his granddaughter. But despite the fact that she looked like an angel, her body housed a mind of deadly evil.   
  


"You called for me Lord Specter?" she asked. If he could have smiled, Dark Specter would have; Cyndra knew just how far to push past protocol with him. Normally one would be addressing him kneeling, or perhaps standing if they were bold enough. No one, except his family, would have been allowed to call in a chair for themselves. But even he had his limit; no one would have been able to get away with calling him by a familiar name.   
  


He nodded, stepping forward from the shadows that had surrounded him. "Yes Cyndra. I have need of you to go to Earth." Inwardly, he smiled, knowing that his granddaughter had been awaiting just this chance to prove herself. If Cyndra managed to accomplish where so many others had failed, she would easily obtain the title as heir for his empire. If not, well, there were so many more people, and kin that he could choose from. With a thought, he brought up a hologram of the blue-green planet that had caused him so much trouble.   
  


She raised an elegant eyebrow, "I thought that Astronema was already there." An image of the Dark Fortress appeared in orbit around the holographic Earth.   
  


"Yes, but she is proving inadequate to handle this by herself," growled Dark Specter. Flashes from some of the more recent battles appeared. In all of them, the Rangers were victorious. "You are to go see why she hasn't made any significant progress, and to see if you can make any headway there."   
  


"As you command Lord Specter," Cyndra bowed, vanishing away the chair, "When do I leave?"   
  


"Immediately."   
  


* * *   
  


_***Wednesday, early morning: Dark Fortress***_

Astronema was angry, that much was certain as Ecliptor saw the sparks flying from the Princess' visible aura. He had walked in to find his protegee pacing madly around the throne room, barely stopping her stride to greet him. "What is it that troubles you Princess?" he asked.   
  


"I just received a message from Dark Specter," she informed him.   
  


"What did he have to say?" he asked, unable to understand why a message from Lord Specter would cause such worry for Astronema. The Princess of Evil was Dark Specter's favorite, Ecliptor himself had made sure of that.   
  


"Cyndra is coming," she grated out through clenched teeth, finally stopping her pacing to face him. "Dammit!! You realize what this means don't you?"   
  


Ecliptor nodded, knowing exactly what that meant; the possibility of Astronema being replaced had suddenly become alarmingly real. By all rights, Cyndra should have had Astronema's position and title in the Alliance of Evil, because she was Dark Specter's granddaughter. She was his only living relative. It was only the fact that she had been studying that had prevented the mage from taking her place as commander of the Dark Fortress in the first place. Because of that, Astronema, under Ecliptor's guidance, had been granted that position. But now that Cyndra was on her way to Earth, there was no telling what could happen.   
  


"I'm not going to allow that spoiled little bitch to take over _my_ place," growled Astronema, "I won't!" Her eyes glowed with hatred at the mere thought of Cyndra. She was a general pain in the butt as far as the Princess of Evil was concerned. During the past ten years that she had known the woman, none of them had been pleasant.   
  


"She will do whatever she can to prove you wrong," warned Ecliptor.   
  


Astronema snorted, "Of course she will, it's in her blood to do so. But that doesn't mean that she'll succeed." She rubbed a hand over her forehead, unsuccessfully trying to prevent an oncoming headache.   
  


"Where's the Red Ranger?" The Princess of Evil frowned as she realized that her servant hadn't been seen since the night before, and then only briefly by the food replicators. The independence that he had been exercising was wearing thin; she needed him to be around when she wanted him. If he couldn't appreciate that, then perhaps it would be better to make him a complete slave once again.   
  


"Begin a search for him now," she growled walking out to the bridge.   
  


Ecliptor bowed, immediately setting the Quantrons to their task. It only took a few minutes before the Dark Fortress scanners picked up their target. The Red Ranger was found inside a cave along one of the more deserted areas of Angel Grove beach. A sound and sight shield had been set up over the cave; obviously the Red Ranger had something to hide inside. The scanners soon came up with a visual inside the cave, showing that the Red Ranger wasn't alone; suspended from the cave ceiling was the Yellow Astro Ranger, Ashley Hammond.   
  


Astronema smiled at the sight of the captured Ranger, momentarily forgetting her troubles with Cyndra. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" she murmured as she watched the events unfold.   
  


* * *   
  


_***Wednesday morning: Somewhere in Angel Grove***_

She hurt. That much she was aware of as she slowly regained consciousness. Other realizations quietly seeped into her brain as she became more awake. Her head was throbbing, a practically never-ending drumming inside her skull. Her arms were tied at the wrist, suspended above her. Her feet felt bound as well; it was hard to see anything in the dim light.   
  


Ashley could barely remember how she had gotten captured; most of it was still a blurred haze. What little her brain managed to recall wasn't very helpful. The Yellow Ranger had decided to go for a walk along Angel Grove beach, alone. She had told Carlos that she had wanted some time to do some thinking after school. While traveling along a deserted strip of sand, she had decided to stop for a rest. Suddenly, there had been a sharp pain at her head, then oblivion. How long ago had that been?   
  


Her dungeon was crude; a cave as far as she could tell. She must have been at the very back for there was very little light to see with. Her arms ached from having held up her body weight for who knew how long. Her morphers were of course, nowhere nearby, and there wasn't anything else readily available for her to use as a weapon.   
  


Ashley's ears perked as she heard footsteps walking towards her. Bright flames began flaring from torches she hadn't noticed before, throwing out odd shadows along the cave walls. The flickering light provided enough illumination for her to see who was coming. She didn't bother to stifle her gasp. If there was a face behind the visored red helmet, she was sure that it would've smirked.   
  


"I see that you're finally awake Ashley," the smooth baritone made her shudder. He noticed her reaction and chuckled. "I wouldn't try anything if I were you, although it might be fun to watch. There's a sound shield over this place, so no one will hear you even if you do scream; and of course, a sight shield so no one will be coming inside to see my latest prize. You were easier to capture than I would have thought, not much of a challenge. But I'm sure that you'll provide more than enough entertainment for me later on. My mistress Astronema holds this world in the palm of her hand. Once she takes over, I will be well placed amongst her court." He lifted her chin up with one gloved finger, "And _you_ are going to be by my side."   
  


She wished she could bit him; somehow wipe what must be an arrogant look off of his face. "Well you're going to have a long wait. Astronema is _never_ going to take over Earth, not as long as the Power Rangers are around you bastard son of a whore!"   
  


He laughed, "Tsk, tsk! What vulgar language! Of course, you're the damsel in distress, why wouldn't you be hamming up you're part?" His finger slowly trailed down her neck, stopping at the neckline of her shirt, just above her chest. Ashley shivered as his touch left goosebumps on her skin. "And who said that it would be _work_?"   
  


"Go to hell," she spat, very much aware of his continued touch.   
  


"Oh but my dear Ashley," he whispered into her ear, "You are already here. Of course, I'll be making it as pleasant for you as possible." Suddenly, he tilted his head, as if he were listening to something. But he turned back towards her, "I must go. There's something that I must care of." He began walking out, but not before throwing over his shoulder, "Don't go anywhere."   
  


With the Red Ranger's departure, the torches immediately died out, leaving Ashley alone in the dim light of the cave. The only sounds she heard now was the lapping of the ocean waves against the sand. As much as she wanted to scream, she knew better than to doubt the Red Ranger's word about the shields. It would be better to concentrate her energies on trying to figure just how to get herself out of the cave.   
  


After a few hours of useless struggling, Ashley realized that her efforts were futile. There was nothing to pick at the locks with, assuming that there were even locks on the chains. Her struggling had left her weak and tired. If the Red Ranger had wanted to do something to her then, she would have barely fought back. Her only hope now would be the other Rangers; she just hoped that they would find her soon.   
  


* * *   
  


_***Wednesday afternoon: Astro Megaship***_

The picture held six figures, all dressed in their representative colors. They were the new Astro Rangers, now of Earth. Marie had never thought that there would be with a team again. It certainly hadn't been in her plans when she had began her vendetta to destroy Dark Specter and his Alliance of Evil. But now, she couldn't see herself without her newfound friends, especially Billy. The current Silver Ranger had come to dominate much of her thoughts during the time that she had come to know him. Perhaps it was because he had been the first new friend she had made in the three years since the destruction of Kerova.   
  


She missed her home so much. Billy had been so kind in showing her around Angel Grove, she wished she could do the same. Marie knew that the old team would have liked him; they would have liked all her new friends. She smiled warmly, but then sighed. She still felt guilty..... guilty about leaving them all behind. Especially Andros. How could she not, especially considering just who and what he had become: Astronema's Red Ranger.   
  


A chime interrupted Marie's thoughts. "Open," she said, allowing the door to slide away, revealing a worried looking Carlos at the entrance.   
  


"Have you seen Ashley today?" the Black Ranger asked without preamble.   
  


Marie looked puzzled as she shook her head, "No. Actually, I don't remember seeing her at all today. Why?"   
  


"No one has seen her since yesterday," he answered grimly, "She'd told me that she planned on going to the beach for a walk alone. But neither TJ or Cassie have seen her since then. I checked her room; it didn't look like it'd been slept in."   
  


Marie wanted to know just how Carlos had gotten into Ashley's room, but knew that now was not the time to ask that question. She knew what conclusion he had come to about Ashley, "You think she's missing."   
  


He nodded, "TJ suggested that I have DECA scan around Angel Grove for her. He's on the bridge right now."   
  


"That's good," smiled Marie, seeing how worried he was about Ashley. She put a hand on his shoulder, "I'm sure she's alright." Carlos smiled faintly, and the Gold Ranger realized that he wouldn't believe that Ashley was okay until he saw her for himself.   
  


* * *   
  


_***Thursday morning: Somewhere in the universe, aboard Divatox's ship***_

The fighting ring was empty today, save for one lone figure at the center of the dirt floor circle. Had he been aware of his surroundings, he might have been able to appreciate the decorator's use of the human design of the Roman Colosseum. Around the fighting ring stood a seven-foot wall of smooth granite. The wall held up a large balcony, capable of holding many spectators. Only two people sat in the seats today, taking delight as they watched the proceedings below.   
  


"Thank you for this most interesting toy brother," smiled Divatox, the self-styled Pirate Queen.   
  


Her brother, General Havoc, bowed his head a little, "Well, thank you for the interesting guinea pig. Mondo wasn't very specific on how this version of his toy worked. Nice to have something to test it on."   
  


"Better him than a Piranatron," shrugged Divatox with a careless air, "Those things are so mindless you'd probably have gotten nothing out of them."   
  


Havoc nodded absently, intent on observing the effects Mondo's machine had on the victim. The Machine King had only given him vague explanations on how to operate the Brain Drain device. The operations manual hadn't been much help either. This version was a modification of what Mondo's son Gasket had used on the Red Zeo Ranger, Tommy Oliver. It wasn't a transfer of powers like the original, rather a pull upon the most intimate thoughts of the victim's mind.   
  


Down in the ring sat the current user of the Brain Drain, the Silver Astro Ranger, Billy Cranston. He was seated in a large metal chair, with arms, legs, and neck strapped down with energy restraints. Settled on his head was a large helmet, attached to the bottom of the chair by a large metallic coil. The whole device looked like a warped hair steamer. From the helmet a small beam was emitted, shining images onto a large screen in front, which the two evil siblings had been watching with great delight.   
  


"Time to see what this does," said Havoc, as he pulled out a remote control, a small box with an odd assortment of dials and buttons covering the surface. He pushed one of the buttons, and a corresponding scream sounded from Billy's lips.   
  


"Ooooh, I like that!!" exclaimed Divatox, "Do it again!"   
  


Havoc complied, pushing another button on the remote control. A small light from the chair turned on for a second before Billy screamed in pain again. Divatox laughed as the sound reached her ears. Immediately she yanked the device from Havoc's grasp, and began fiddling with the various dials and buttons on the remote. This served to increase Billy's pain as the chair probed deeper into his mind, creating a tormenting physical pain that was far worse than Havoc had done before.   
  


Suddenly, the Silver Ranger's body went limp. Divatox looked at her brother, "Is he dead?"   
  


Havoc's eyes, being better than his sister's, was able to prove otherwise as he saw Billy's chest slowly moving. "No, he's not dead," he replied testily, "No thanks to you!"   
  


"What did I do?" she demanded, glaring at her brother with glowing red eyes.   
  


"Well, if you hadn't decided to play with the remote, we could've had a little more time to experiment on him," retorted Havoc, carefully tucking the remote device away from Divatox, "As it is, he's unconscious and absolutely no use to us at the moment." He turned to the nearby Piranatrons, "Take him back to his cell."   
  


* * *   
  


A figure hidden from view watched as two Piranatrons made themselves known. Following their master's orders, they freed Billy from the energy restraints, and began dragging his limp body away from the now bickering siblings. The still invisible presence could see that the Silver Ranger was barely conscious throughout the ride back to his cell, as he was unceremoniously flung onto the cold metal floor. Their task completed, the two foot soldiers immediately left, locking the door behind them. Neither noticed the air flickering, as if someone had slipped in before the door had been locked.   
  


In the darkness, the invisible figure made certain that there were no watchers in the room. Once confirmed, he made his presence known. The air flickered once more, before a figure in black materialized in the room. He looked down at the injured Ranger, trying to decide what to do. Kneeling down beside the body, he gently tried to shake Billy awake. After a few moments the Silver Ranger moaned, slowly lifting his head.   
  


Billy's face was not a beautiful sight to behold, full of bruises and scars, marking the torture that had been inflicted upon him. The stranger rolled him upon his back, carefully getting him into a sitting position. A small vial materialized in the stranger's hands, and the contents were carefully poured down the Silver Ranger's mouth. Although he coughed a bit, Billy managed to force the liquid down his throat.   
  


"Who are you?" he mumbled through swollen lips.   
  


"The Ruby Ranger of Ithta, although I may be known to your friends as the Phantom Ranger," answered the figure, "I've come to get you out of here. The healing potion you just drank ought to give you enough strength before we find your morpher."   
  


Billy shook his head weakly, "No, Zordon....."   
  


"He isn't here," interrupted Phantom, "Wherever Divatox is keeping him now, she's managed to keep it a secret from everyone. But don't worry, there are others working on finding him as we speak. So, are you going to come with me?"   
  


Slowly, Billy nodded, allowing the other Ranger to help him to his feet. "My morpher...."   
  


"Is in a locked storage room off of that marshmallow thing's lab," said Phantom as he began working with the cell's lock, "We should be able to get in there undetected." Within a few moments, a small click was heard, and the door slid open a few centimeters.   
  


"How?" asked Billy, a little more aware now that his head wasn't pounding as hard. The pain that had been flaring throughout his entire body had seemed to dim as well. While he didn't feel ready to take on the world, Billy at least felt well enough now to make his way through Divatox's ship.   
  


"My shield," answered Phantom, "I can extend it to encompass the two of us. It'll make us invisible to sight, as well as sensors. Come on, we've got to hurry." With that, he placed a hand to his chest, activating his shield.   
  


As the two Rangers slipped out of the cell, Billy found that the shield was working as the Phantom Ranger said. All of the Piranatrons that they passed didn't notice the two of them at all. They easily made their way through the ship, managing to gain access into the storage room with little difficulty. Within minutes, Billy's morpher was retrieved; with a sigh of relief, he slipped it on, morphing into the Silver Ranger. Just as the morphing was complete, alarms began to ring out through the ship.   
  


"Looks like we've worn out our welcome," Phantom said, as he indicated for Billy to follow him. Under the cloak of the Ruby Ranger's shield, they raced through the hallways undetected to one of the ship's large storage bays.   
  


Once they arrived, Phantom retrieved something from a section of tied down barrels. It was small and black, in the shape of a pyramid. He explained to Billy that it was a teleportation amplifier, allowing the two of them to teleport safely back onto his ship. After a few minutes of fiddling with the device, the mysterious Ranger announced that it was ready and working. Just as the Piranatrons began to pry open the doors to the storage bay, the two Rangers teleported away in flashes of black and silver light.   
  


* * * 

**_*Thursday morning: Dark Fortress*_**

It hadn't taken long for Cyndra to arrive at the Dark Fortress; Dark Specter had used some of his magic to speed his granddaughter along her way to Earth thus shortening her trip to two days. Her reception on board the Dark Fortress had been made with as minimal fuss as possible, not little enough to _technically_ be an insult, but for one of her heritage, it was insult enough. But Astronema's cold glare only made Cyndra smile as she regarded the raven-haired Princess of Evil. _Soon, all that will change. No longer will it be Astronema seated at Dark Specter's side, but me! And I will take my rightful place as the true heir to the Alliance of Evil._   
  


"It's so good to finally meet you," she said, her melodic voice floating through the room with only the slightest hint of maliciousness.   
  


"Yes, finally," Astronema replied with equal elegance, but with a hard edge to her voice.   
  


_This will be so much fun_. Cyndra laughed inwardly, seeing the challenge in Astronema's eyes. _I am surprised she didn't bring out her little toy though. Would have thought that she would have wanted to rub my face in what she managed to do. _But there was no point in having Astronema retrieve the Red Ranger now; there would be plenty of time for Cyndra to look at him later.   
  


The Princess of Evil assigned two Quantrons to take Cyndra to her appointed room. She accepted the escorts with a smile but knew this to be yet another slight insult. Astronema herself should have taken Cyndra to her room. But this didn't matter, she had special plans that the so-called Princess didn't need to know about. The two mechanical foot soldiers that led Cyndra never noticed as the mage's hands began glowing with an odd green light. Neither did they notice anything as she gently touched the back of their heads with those glowing hands; and nothing was noticed when the glow left her hands, entering their bodies. With a smile and a glint in her eyes, Cyndra entered her quarters, but lingered at the entrance momentarily. Her eyes focused on the two departing escorts, watching as one brushed passed another Quantron. That Quantron's eyes glowed for a brief instant before returning to normal.   
  


Satisfied, Cyndra slipped back into her room, which was already furnished with most of her things. Lined upon a shelf were many darkly colored vials. She took one down, pouring its contents into a black bowl that was in her hand. Added to the dark red liquid was a sparkling white powder, followed by another dark liquid. She stirred the entire mixture with her finger, smiling as she did so. Once that was done, she pricked her stirring finger, allowing three drops of blood to mix in. The bowl was then upended over a small statuette in the middle of the floor. The liquid vanished into the statue.   
  


Chuckling quietly, the mage picked up the statue, smoothing a finger over the round helmet that had been carved there. "Soon, Red Ranger, you will be mine. And Astronema's reign will end."   
  


* * *   
  


_***Saturday evening: A deserted strip of Angel Grove Beach***_

Little knowing what plans were being made for his future above in the Dark Fortress, the Red Ranger made his way into the cave where he was holding his prize: Ashley Hammond. The torches flared to life as he stepped in range of their magical sensors. The flickering lights shone erratically upon the shield he had placed around his captive. No longer was Ashley tied from the ceiling, but trapped beneath a shining dome. He could see the wariness in her eyes as he stepped into view. A smile crept upon his face underneath the helmet; he would change that look soon enough.   
  


This was the fourth day of Ashley's stay in the cave, and he was enjoying every minute of it. As he had told her, it hadn't been all that hard to get her here. He had waited patiently until the perfect opportunity had presented itself; something he hadn't expected to be so soon. He had expected to have to wait for as long as a month before he could obtain his prize. Instead, there she had been, all alone on the beach; a perfect invitation for him to seize her.   
  


It had been proof of the power that he held now: over her, and over himself. Although she didn't know it, he remembered what Astronema had done to him while he had been under the obedience spell. There wasn't anything that would make him hate his mistress, but the feeling of powerlessness was not one he would willing go back to again. That was why, although he didn't like it, he was following Astronema's orders regarding the Yellow Ranger.   
  


His mistress' orders had been simple: no physical torture. He sensed that there was some underlying personal reasons behind that order, but had not questioned it at the time. He had been surprised that she had known of what he had done, but it should not have been a surprise to him. After all, she was his creator, why wouldn't she know everything about him?   
  


"Good evening Ashley," he said, allowing some amusement to colour his voice. Everything was going perfectly so far, especially since there had been no other Power Rangers to mess up anything. They obviously hadn't been able to penetrate the shielding surrounding the area, and he didn't expect them to be able to any time soon.   
  


The Yellow Ranger didn't answer, but then, he hadn't expected her to. She hadn't said much in the past few days; as if by not talking to him she could forget that he was there. Kneeling on the ground, he slid the tray of food he had brought into the dome. She ignored it, much like she ignored everything else around her. Eventually, he knew that she would eat, not much, but enough to keep her from starving.   
  


He stood up then, not wanting to spend the whole night on his knees. "Your friends aren't coming you know," he began, expecting another night of one-sided conversations. They were just simple bits of information, designed to undermine Ashley's faith in her friends finding her. "They've probably given up by now. Hell, they probably think you're dead."   
  


"Or worse," she retorted, looking up at him, "Like you."   
  


"Oh, so she does speak!" he exclaimed mockingly, throwing his arms out wide. "Now, will she fight back?"   
  


"Give me my morpher and I'll show you," she replied fiercely.   
  


He called in the morpher into his hands, "You mean this old thing?" He saw her eyes widen, then narrow in anger. He laughed, dangling the device just past the shield's range. "Too bad you aren't getting it."   
  


She glared at him, "You bloody bastard! Is that all you are? Just a coward afraid to take me on in a _fair _fight? Afraid that I'd beat you?"   
  


He shook his head, immediately recognizing her ploy. "No, not afraid, just following orders my dear. And speaking of orders, one really must wonder just what kind of orders your leader is giving, to have kept you here in my company for four days straight." She turned her head away, her eyes facing the ground. He continued to press his advantage. "Hmmm, maybe they think you _like _it here. Do you like it here my dear Ashley?"   
  


"Stop calling me that!!" she shouted, "I am **not** your 'dear' anything! And there is no way in hell that I would ever like this place!! There is no way that I would ever like being with you!!"   
  


With what little magic he possessed, he formed a table from the sand floor, placing the morpher upon the tabletop. He chuckled, "Oh but Ashley, you would be so much more comfortable here if you'd allow me to give you some luxuries. Ah, but you insist on making me your enemy. But just who really is the enemy here my dear? Me? I've only tried to make your more comfortable. Besides that one time I used blunt force to bring you here, you can't say that I have hurt you in any way. As for your friends? Don't you think they should've found you by now, if they were really your friends?"   
  


He saw the doubt that was in her eyes now, slowly poisoning her mind against those who she called teammates. All he needed was a bit more time, a few more words, and soon she would be completely his for the taking. He decided that this was enough for tonight; the seed had been planted. A little time alone would let her deal with her own thoughts on her current situation. Without another word, he teleported out of the cave back to the Dark Fortress. Awaiting him in his quarters was Cyndra, the new mage that had come aboard per Dark Specter's orders. She smiled sweetly as he entered, standing up to face him.   
  


"Did you plant the seed?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.   
  


He nodded, "It has been done Mistress Cyndra." Ashley's doubts hadn't been totally her own, but were being magically augmented by a special seed planted into the Yellow Ranger's food. Over time, the doubts that he had cast in her mind would take over, turning her against the other Rangers.   
  


"Good," she purred, running a hand over his shoulder. "You shall discuss this with no one," she commanded softly, "Especially not Astronema. Is that clear?"   
  


"Of course Mistress Cyndra," he replied, "I will obey your every command."   
  


"Yes, you will won't you?" she laughed before slipping out of the room.   
  


* * *   
  


_***Saturday early evening: Astro Megaship***_

He couldn't understand what was taking so long; DECA should've been able to find something by now. All this technology at his hands, and he could do nothing. Nothing, except watch, and wait. It was the endless waiting that was getting to him. Already four days had gone by, and not a single blip on the scanners. Carlos was about ready to go down to Angel Grove himself to find Ashley. And to top it all off, the Rangers hadn't heard from Billy in awhile either. The dark circles under Marie's eyes were beginning to match Carlos' own.   
  


"Wearing a hole in the floor isn't going to help her you know." Carlos turned around to face the leader of the Astro Rangers. TJ's face looked as tired as the Black Ranger felt, and was one full of sympathy and understanding.   
  


"I've got to do something Teej," he replied, running a hand through his hair. "I can't just stand around, not knowing what's happening to her."   
  


TJ sat down on a console, "And in the meantime, you're neglecting yourself. When was the last time you slept, or even ate? Frankly, you like hell. You're in no condition to go off helping Ashley like this. You know that she would same the same thing too."   
  


Carlos sighed, closing his eyes, "I...I know you're right. But she's my best friend! Wouldn't you be doing the same thing to, if Cassie was the one captured?"   
  


"Yeah, you're right, I probably would," TJ nodded, "But that isn't the case. Now, I want you to go to the Synthetron and get _something_ to eat. I'll stay here and let you know if anything comes up. Alright?"   
  


Something in TJ's eyes told Carlos that if he didn't say yes, he'd find himself being force-fed through a tube. Reluctantly, the Black Ranger nodded, making his way to the eating area of the Astro Megaship. He ordered himself something that wouldn't take too long to eat: a sandwich. Just as he was sitting down with his plate, two streams of light came into the room: one silver, and one black. The columns vanished, leaving behind the Phantom and Silver Rangers.   
  


"Your friend needs medical attention," said the Phantom Ranger, supporting Billy.   
  


Momentarily startled, Carlos soon found his voice, "Uh, right. Follow me." He quickly led them to the medical bay, on the way calling up the other Rangers. The team immediately met inside the med room to find that Billy had already been put on one of the bio-beds. Alpha was performing a scan upon the Silver Ranger, consulting the visual reader as he did so.   
  


"Is he going to be alright?" asked Marie, taking one of Billy's hands. His helmet off, the Silver Ranger smiled as he looked up at her. She blushed, gently letting his hand go.   
  


"He should be," reassured Alpha, after taking another look at the visual readouts, "He's been badly beaten, but there's nothing here that is life-threatening." He looked at the Silver Ranger, "Don't worry Billy, you'll be fine in a few days."   
  


Letting out a deep breath of relief, Marie looked up at the Phantom Ranger. "Thank you for bringing him back to us."   
  


"It was the least I could do," replied the mysterious Ranger, "You have helped me in the past; this is my way of repaying you."   
  


"So, are you going to leave again?" Cassie's voice was soft, but it managed to silence the entire room. TJ edged himself closer to the Pink Ranger, in a protective stance no one could mistake.   
  


Phantom shook his head, "No, I plan to stay, for now. I've been given permission from my planet to aid you in your cause. And because of that, it is time that I show you who I am." Head down, his hand touched the power ruby at his chest. In a flare of red light, the Phantom Ranger's armor vanished, leaving behind a human male. He lifted his head up, a small smile playing upon his face as he looked at the Gold Astro Ranger.   
  


Marie's eyes widened as she saw his face, barely stifling her gasp. She blinked her eyes rapidly for a moment, wondering if this was a dream. When she saw that the image hadn't faded, she wanted to cry. It might have been three years since she'd seen him, but there was no mistaking the face. With a choked sob, she threw herself into his open arms, welcoming the strong embrace of the arms around her. A single word escaped her throat:   
  


"Andros!!" 


	4. Friend Into Foe

**Disclaimer: **_As always, the Power Rangers belong to Saban, not me. The characters Marie Fox and Cyndra belong to Greeneyes. And I'm crediting inspiration, not to mention a line or two to Anne Bishop's "Dark Jewel Trilogy". Read it if you haven't!_   
  


**Author's Notes:**_ I apologize for taking so long to come out with this one. This begins three days after 'The Enemy is Near'. In case anyone didn't realize it, Andros is the Phantom Ranger. Jason and Trini's relationship is better explained in my story "To Love Forever", which is set in the same universe, more or less, as this. ^_^_   
  


**Friend Into Foe**

**By: Jade Daniels**   
  


It had been three days since _he _had arrived. Three days, and they hadn't spoken more than a few words to each other. Cassie wasn't sure what to do. While the Phantom Ranger had been gone, she had automatically assumed that when he came back, somehow everything would magically fall into place. The reality had been that after Andros had revealed himself to be the Phantom Ranger, all he had done was explain his history of the past three years. Afterwards, he had seemed to avoid the other Rangers except when they went into battle against Astronema's monsters.   
  


He had told them that he had been training on Ithta for the past three years to become their Ruby Ranger. During the last battle on Kerova, he had become severely injured, losing his morpher in the fight. He had been left for dead by Dark Specter's minions when the Mynarins, the people of Ithta, found him, and took him back to their home planet. It was there that he had slowly recovered, believing that all his teammates were dead. Because of that, he had agreed to become a Crystal Ranger, severing his connection with his Red Astro morpher to take on the Power Ruby.   
  


The Rangers of Ithta, or the Crystal Rangers as they were known, were a special force that didn't just protect their own planet. Their numbers were great enough that separate teams could go to other parts of the universe on special missions - not just for their own planet. Andros had been assigned to Earth two years ago before being recalled back to Ithta. That was when the Turbo Rangers had first met him. Now he had returned to Earth because of a new threat, but not one that the Astro Rangers knew about: Dark Specter's granddaughter Cyndra. Andros didn't know much about her, only that she was due to take over from Astronema as heir to the Alliance of Evil. What he did know was that she was a mage of the highest class, having learned much when she had been sent away to school.   
  


Billy hadn't heard anything about Cyndra either while he had been Divatox's prisoner. The past three days had been good for the Silver Ranger, allowing him to recuperate from his experience. He was putting on a strong front in front of the others, but the Rangers knew just how hard it would be for him to get over the torture he had been put through. At the moment, Billy wasn't participating in any battles, but Alpha had assured him that he would be ready for duty soon.   
  


_But what do I do about me and Andros?_ Cassie couldn't help but wonder just why Andros was avoiding her. The Pink Ranger knew where her heart belonged, but didn't know if those feelings were returned. _I thought he cared........ But now, I'm not so sure._ Cassie realized that she needed answers, and there was really only one person who could tell her about Andros: Marie. Determined, she headed towards the bridge, where the Gold Ranger was working through her shift. Thankfully, she was alone when Cassie found her.   
  


"What are you doing here Cassie?" asked Marie.   
  


"Um, just wanted to know how the searches were coming," she answered lamely.   
  


"Nothing on either of them," replied Marie, looking at her strangely. "None of the other planets have reported sighting anything on either Zordon or Ashley, although I think its safe to assume that she's being held aboard the Dark Fortress."   
  


During the past week that Ashley had been captured, the Rangers had been trying everything they knew to rescue her. Unfortunately, the continuous scans had shown nothing in Angel Grove, and couldn't penetrate through the shielding that surrounded the Dark Fortress. The attempts that had been made to board the ship had all been met with failure. Teleportation was impossible, because the Rangers hadn't been able to get through the hull.   
  


"I need to ask you something," the Pink Ranger blurted out, suddenly unsure of herself.   
  


Marie took another look at her before turning back to face the viewscreen, "Andros?"   
  


Cassie nodded. "Yeah." She sat in one of the nearby seats, "Is he avoiding me Marie? No, wait, I know he's avoiding me. What I would like to know is why. He and I have got to talk. I feel something for him that I can't explain, and for a long time, I thought he felt the same way too. Was I wrong to expect that?"   
  


"It isn't wrong to expect someone to care about you, especially if you care about them," answered Marie after a bit of hesitation, "As to why you think he's avoiding you, you'll have to ask him that yourself." With that, she suddenly stood up, heading towards the door. Cassie was confused by Marie's action until she saw Andros standing in the doorway, looking very nervous.   
  


"I'll leave you two alone," said Marie, all but shoving Andros towards Cassie. She glared at the two, "So talk!"   
  


* * * 

It had been a week since Ashley had been taken captive by the Red Ranger and three days since he had brought her aboard the Dark Fortress. Instead of putting her into a holding cell though, she was now housed in a magnificent room, more luxurious than any she had known before. The Red Ranger's reasoning behind this was simple: with the Yellow Ranger in a nice place, she was more liable to let her guard down. The idea seemed to be working, considering the fact that Ashley seemed to be making herself comfortable.   
  


This didn't mean that the Red Ranger hadn't been making good use of these past few days. While she had been aboard the Dark Fortress, he had taken the time to spy upon the Yellow Ranger. As per Cyndra's instructions, he had made sure that Ashley's food was doused with 'black seeds'. Despite the name, black seeds were undetectable by ordinary sight, taste or smell. They were special, capable of holding any spell placed upon them. These particular seeds held a special doubt spell, one that would feed off of doubt and make it grow. As far as he could tell, the spell was working very well. The Red Ranger had noticed that Ashley had a habit of talking to herself when she was alone and lately, her voiced thoughts had to do with the other Power Rangers. Her trust in them was shattering, piece by piece. Soon enough, the evil planted in the Yellow Ranger would be completely entwined into her soul.   
  


* * *   
  


Everything was falling into place neatly. Cyndra's spell over the Red Ranger made him her property now. The fact that he had captured the Yellow Ranger had been an unexpected bonus. Through the black seeds and Ashley's morpher, Cyndra would soon have the Yellow Ranger under her control as well. The spell she had placed for control of the Quantrons was also working well, and soon enough she would be able to kick Astronema out of the Dark Fortress. Now it was time to move onto the second part of her plan: destroying the Power Rangers from the inside.   
  


The main problem with the Rangers was that they had such a 'team' spirit. Thus, the key to destroying them was in destroying the friendship that bound them together. With a snap of her fingers, Cyndra called in a small crystal vial filled with a dark liquid. _The Blue Ranger will never know what hit him. By the time I'm finished, the Astro Rangers would be split up, for good! It will certainly be easy pickings. Grandfather will see then that I'm truly his rightful heir. Astronema will be a has-been, and I shall reign supreme! Oh, it's such a good day to be me!! _Cyndra chuckled as she vanished away the vial.   
  


Suddenly, she sensed a presence in the room with her. She stiffened a little, but not noticeably. "Whoever you are, I recommend that you show yourself, _now_." In response, a dark figure emerged from the shadows of the room. Cyndra immediately recognized who it was: the bounty hunter Darkonda, a minor minion of her grandfather. Her eyes traveled down his body. In some circles, Darkonda might have been considered handsome - to a truly deranged mind. He looked like many mottled pieces of flesh stuck together badly, with a grin that defied all logic.   
  


"What are you doing here?" demanded the mage. "And just how did you manage to get pass the shielding around this place? Not even the Rangers have managed to get through."   
  


He laughed, "I have my ways Cyndra. There isn't a closed door in the galaxy that I can't make my way through. Your grandfather made sure of that. As to why I'm here......" He flicked his hand, producing a shining recording disk, "Would you like to know what this is?"   
  


"Why would I be interested in anything that you have Darkonda?" she asked, ready to dismiss him.   
  


"Because this disk happens to contain some very special information about Astronema," he answered, his voice deliberately teasing, "I've heard that you've had some problems with her. The information on this disk will help you get rid of those problems easily. It'll give you the edge you need over her."   
  


"What makes you think I even need it?" she looked at him, her eyes glowing.   
  


"You wouldn't dare risk not having it," he replied, waving the disk, "And believe me, you don't want to be without it."   
  


She tilted her head, contemplating his words. It was true that although her plans were working out well now, there was always the chance that something could go wrong. If what Darkonda was saying was true, that the information on the disk had some importance.......... It could give her the extra momentum she required to topple Astronema once and for all. Finally, she held out her hand. "Alright, you've convinced me," she said, "Give me the disk."   
  


"Ah, not yet," he said, pulling out of her way, "I've been holding onto this little prize for some time now. I know quite a few others who would gladly pay twice, even three times my usual fee for this. What are you willing to give me?"   
  


She suddenly shot out of her seat, her hand closing in around his neck, lifting the monster up from the floor. She looked into his eyes, her own glowing icy blue. "I don't do bribes, and I don't negotiate. Listen well Darkonda, for I am Dark Specter's granddaughter, meaning his blood flows through my veins. Do you know what that means?" The fingers grasped tighter around the neck, threatening to snap the bones beneath the leathery skin. "It means, that I _take _control." With those words, Cyndra released Darkonda, allowing him to land in a heap at her feet.   
  


He coughed, trying to force air back into his lungs. He raised himself to his feet. "My mistake," he rasped, gingerly fingering his throat. He placed the disk into Cyndra's outstretched hand.   
  


With a smile, she vanished away the disk for later perusal. Looking at Darkonda, she said, "Your _usual_ fee will be transferred to your accounts, _minus_ 50%, as punishment. You will do well to remember next time, not to overstretch your hand."   
  


He bowed, knowing better than to argue with her. "Of course, Lady Cyndra," he said through gritted teeth. With that, he vanished himself away from the Dark Fortress.   
  


* * *   
  


Breathe in. Breathe out. Standing still, he felt the gentle breeze wash over his skin, carrying away the negative feelings that still inhabited his heart. He began a set of slow, deliberate movements, designed to relax the body and the mind. After finishing one set, he let his body flow immediately into another, slightly increasing speed. He finished off four more sets in this manner before finally stopping.   
  


Billy looked down at the silver cane that lay nearby on the grass. Soon, he wouldn't need the cumbersome device anymore. He knew his physical healing was nearly complete. As long as he kept up his training, he would be fighting with the team again in no time. He needed to fight again, to keep his mind occupied so he wouldn't think about...... Billy shivered, despite the warm sunlight that surrounded him. It was a very hard, slow process, trying to get over what had been done to him. During the past couple of nights he had been haunted by nightmares of Divatox and General Havoc. On the night he had been brought back to the Megaship, his nightmare had been so bad that Alpha had had to sedate him.   
  


Despite everything though, he was getting better mentally as well as physically. The other Rangers had been making sure of that, especially Marie. She had spent a lot of time with him lately, making sure that he followed all of Alpha's instructions. While it was a little annoying, he did appreciate having someone with him. And during the past few days, he and Marie had gotten closer. Now..... now he was beginning to think of her as more than just a friend.   
  


His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of someone calling his name. He turned around and was shocked to see a familiar, young Asian man walking up towards him. "Billy!" the young man called, "I thought it was you!"   
  


"Adam!" exclaimed Billy.   
  


The former Green Turbo Ranger smiled and engulfed his friend in a hug. "Yeah, its me! Rocky said he thought he had seen you around here the other day. I hadn't believed him until now. When did you get back?"   
  


"A few weeks ago," shrugged Billy, "I hadn't exactly had the time to call you guys." That was truth enough; he had been busy with his Ranger duties. What Billy wasn't about to tell Adam was of all the insecurities he had had about meeting his old friends again.   
  


"Okay," nodded Adam, not pressing further. Instead, his focus turned upon the cane lying on the ground. "That yours?" Billy nodded. Adam raised an eyebrow, "Why do you need it?"   
  


"It's kind of a long story," said Billy. He proceeded to tell Adam of the events that had happened over the past few weeks, from him becoming the Silver Ranger to his capture by Divatox. "It's been a few days since the Phantom Ranger found me, but I'm healing now."   
  


"That's good to know," said Adam, "I'm happy for you Billy and the others will be glad to hear about it too. Jason and Trini will be thrilled to know that you're back here to stay for good. Believe me, you've picked a great time to come back."   
  


"I have?" Billy looked at Adam curiously, "What do you mean?"   
  


"Jason and Trini are getting married," answered Adam.   
  


Billy's jaw dropped to the ground, "Whoa! When? I didn't even know that they were together...... I mean, Jason was with Emily when I had left, and they had looked pretty tight. And Trini, well, from her letters I had gathered that she had been with someone...... Jason?"   
  


Adam laughed, "That's about the same babble I said when they told me. Tommy, I think has known about it a bit longer, same with Kim. But for the rest of us, well it was certainly a surprise. The short of it is, that Jason and Trini were an item in Switzerland and that was before he came back. They obviously broke it off by the time he came back to Angel Grove, which is what you know." He shrugged, "From what I've learned, he and Emily broke up after the tournament for the orphanage. And I think after Trini and Zack came back after graduation, they decided to try again."   
  


"And now they're getting married?" Billy was still in shock from the news, but extremely happy about it as well.   
  


"Pretty much," answered Adam, "Well, they're engaged. They haven't really set a date yet, so you still have plenty of time to buy a present."   
  


"Right," nodded Billy still feeling a little dazed by the news, "I'll remember to talk to them too." He let out a deep breath, "Jason and Trini..... I really can't believe it. I mean, who'd thought?"   
  


Adam nodded, looking thoughtfully at Billy. "You know, Tommy told me that he once thought that you and Trini would've made a good couple."   
  


Billy didn't look shocked nor surprised. "A lot of people thought that. I don't know, maybe it was because we both had similar interests and stuff. After all, for a long time, she was the only one who could decipher my technobabble," the Silver Ranger laughed, "I love her, but only as a friend."   
  


"Yeah, kinda the same way it is between me and Aisha," said Adam.   
  


"Pretty much," replied Billy. Something suddenly caught Billy's eye behind Adam. The Green Ranger turned around to see a young red-headed woman walking towards them.   
  


"Hi Billy," the girl smiled softly as she came within talking range.   
  


Billy smiled, "Hi Marie." He then turned to Adam, "Adam Park, this is Marie Fox. Marie, this is Adam. He's an old friend of mine."   
  


"Hello Adam. It's nice to meet you," said Marie.   
  


"It's nice to meet you too," Adam replied.   
  


Billy looked curiously at Marie, "Um, why are you here though? Weren't you at watch?"   
  


Marie grinned, almost the first truly happy smile Billy had seen on her, "I left Cassie and Andros on the bridge. Told them they needed to talk."   
  


* * *   
  


Andros smiled as he felt the light feminine touch brush across his mind. It had been three years since he had had any telepathic contact with anyone, yet he and Marie had fell back into it like they had never been apart. She had been afraid at first, that he didn't want to accept her back into his life. He himself hadn't realized just how much guilt she carried around inside her for being the only Kerovian left alive, or so she had thought. But he had put her fears to rest when he had opened up his mind to her once again.   
  


He doubted that she had told the other Rangers of this particular ability, and was unlikely to do so in the near future. This latest Ranger team, one so like and unlike the ones he knew before, was still building up from shaky ground. Once they had complete and total trust in one another, then it would be time to tell them about the Kerovian mental abilities.   
  


Marie's touch became a bit more insistent and he realized that he hadn't answered her summons. _*Yes Marie?*_   
  


_*You're being an idiot you know,*_ she said with her usual bluntness and a touch of annoyance.   
  


He winced at her mental tone, _*Why?* _An image of the Pink Astro Ranger came across his mind. _*Oh.*_   
  


_*Is that all you have to say Andros?*_ she demanded in disbelief, _*You used to be a whole lot better in the affairs of the heart.*_   
  


_*You're thinking more about Zhane than me.* _There was a brief pause as he remembered his best friend,_ *Besides, that was then, this is now,*_ he replied, not sure how to explain himself,_ *Cassie........ she's different from all of the women I've known before. It's as if from the moment I saw her, my soul felt whole. I think.... no, I know that she is my shal'nar.*_   
  


*_That's a very nice sentiment,_* Marie said caustically, although inwardly, she was happy that Andros was readily admitting having found what roughly translated to his 'soulmate', *_But it doesn't explain the way you've been acting towards her lately.*_   
  


_*Doesn't it?*_ asked Andros, letting his doubt and fear creep into his mental voice, _*You know about some of the old stories, how a shal'nar bond was portrayed. It may be felt by one, but not necessarily the other. What if she doesn't feel the same way? Both have to feel it for it to be truly occurring.*_   
  


_*But what if it is occurring?_* she asked, a soft smile playing upon her lips, _*She's up here on the bridge right now, wondering why you've been avoiding her since you've been on board.*_   
  


_*She is?*_ he asked, his feet already heading in that direction.   
  


_*She is.* _she confirmed, *_Come up to the bridge please! She needs an explanation._* By that time, he was at the doorway of the bridge. Marie, who was working at the console, suddenly stood up and walked towards the doorway. Cassie looked confused for a moment, until her eyes locked onto his.   
  


"I'll leave you two alone," said Marie. She looked over at him, "So talk!"   
  


Now that they were alone, Andros didn't know what to say. He had been awaiting and dreading this moment ever since he had come aboard the Megaship. Cassie looked at him uncertainly, before taking Marie's place in front of the viewscreen. As she pressed the occasional button on the panel, she said, "Um, I haven't seen you around the past few days."   
  


"I've been busy," he answered stiffly, still not knowing what to really say.   
  


"Oh," she replied softly, "Getting settled in and stuff?"   
  


He nodded, "Something like that." He sighed, suddenly unsure of himself. "Look Cassie, I don't know what Marie hoped to accomplish but, I think I'll go."   
  


"No!" she exclaimed, turning around in her seat, "Please don't." She walked towards him, "Don't leave." Without her having to say more, he knew what she was trying to ask.   
  


"Do you mean that?" he asked softly, laying a hand upon her face.   
  


She nodded, covering his hand with her own. "Of course I do. I've been waiting and hoping for the day you would come back. To me. Why would I ever want to let you go again?"   
  


"When I came back," his voice was rough with emotion, "I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know if you really did care for me, if all of that had been in my imagination. So, I stayed away. I couldn't bear the thought of yo telling me that you didn't want me." He pulled her close to him, closing his eyes as he lay his head upon hers, "You're so beautiful. A warrior goddess. Someone that I should never have fallen in love with, because I could never have hoped to win her."   
  


She smiled, looking into his eyes, "But you did win me. I think, I've been in love with you from the moment I saw you."   
  


"As have I," he whispered, now able to see the love that shone from her eyes. Their faces drew closer, until their lips met. When they pulled apart, they both whispered three words:   
  


"I love you."   
  


* * *   
  


Darkonda checked his computer to see if Cyndra had transferred his payment yet. With a small sigh of relief, he found that she hadn't. It gave him an excuse for continuing his orbit around Earth. He needed that excuse, for if anyone ever found out the truth....... If anyone ever did find out his real reason for being here, he would be destroyed. And his son...... His son would never know of his father, at least, not the way he wanted to be known. That was the real reason why he had come: to search for his son. After centuries of searching, he now knew that his son was living on Earth.   
  


Darkonda hadn't always been the monstrosity he was now. He had once a body that looked very much like a human. His fist curled at the memory of what Dark Specter had done to him. The lava-monster had ripped apart his mind and body, reshaping it until he had become a vicious bounty hunter. It had taken him too many years to repair and remember all that had been done to him.   
  


***Flashback***   
  


_"Fifty lashes today," the gravelly voice of Dark Specter said, looking down upon the tiny being who had dared to defy him. "You, my slave are going to count each and every one. If you miss even one, ten more lashes will be added."_   
  


_Doshar Ishwan, once one of the greatest Agents of Light, closed his eyes briefly. He would not allow Dark Specter any satisfaction at seeing the pain that had flashed in his eyes. Fifty lashes today, it was a wonder that he wasn't used to them by now. After being whipped every day since his capture, his flesh now hung over his bones, striped all over with puckered red marks. Dark Specter had never been content with just whipping his prisoners on the back, anywhere on the body was fair game._   
  


_He was stretched out on a large metal frame, exposing his entire body. A robed figure emerged from the shadows, a long whip held in hand. The figure circled around Doshar, tracing a finger along his back, then down his chest. At a nod from Dark Specter, the whip was raised. There was a hiss as it moved through the air before slicing down upon Doshar's flesh._   
  


_He tensed, but didn't dare scream. Although he was sure that Dark Specter would have loved to hear it, screams were always rewarded with ten additional lashes. Doshar had learned that lesson early in his capture. He counted as each lash struck down upon him until all fifty had placed new marks upon his body._   
  


_"You did well today, slave," said Dark Specter, a slight note of approval in his voice, "Perhaps it is time I take you up to the next phase."_   
  


And that would be the last time he was ever known as Doshar.   
  


* * *   
  


TJ sat at the Beach Cafe, his arm propping up his head while he sipped on a triple-berry smoothie. As good as the drink was, he didn't pay much attention to the flavor, his thoughts concentrating on what he had saw a few hours earlier: Cassie and Andros on the bridge of the Megaship. The Blue Ranger's eyes darkened in remembrance.   
  


He hadn't meant to be spying. In fact, he had been on his way to the bridge for a progress report. Just as he was about to step in, TJ had spotted the Phantom Ranger heading inside. He had hid himself when he had heard Cassie's voice, and saw Marie leaving the two of them alone. Without really thinking, he had stayed where he had been. The couple's voices had carried to his hiding place, telling him a lot more than he had wanted to know. It was done now; they had finally admitted their feelings for one another. TJ knew that he should be happy for Cassie, but couldn't find it within himself to do so. What was wrong with him?   
  


"Do you mind if I sit here?" The gentle voice brought him out of his thoughts. TJ looked up to find a gorgeous young woman standing beside the empty chair at his table. Looking around, he found that all the other tables were occupied. He hadn't even noticed that the cafe had filled up so quickly.   
  


"Um, sure, no problem," he answered with a smile.   
  


"Thanks," she said, seating herself gracefully beside him. She looked at him through her lowered lashes, "My name is Angelica."   
  


"My name's TJ," the Blue Ranger replied, "Nice to meet you."   
  


The two fell into an easy conversation, and soon ended up having talked for a few hours. TJ found that he liked talking to Angelica. She was an easy-going person with a witty personality. They had talked much about their common interests. In fact, TJ was amazed just how much they did have in common. He found it strange that they hadn't met before this, and made a mention of it.   
  


"Oh, actually I only moved to Angel Grove a few days ago," Angelica replied, "I've been studying at this private school. I've only recently finished my schooling, and my grandfather thought it would be good for me to spend some time here."   
  


"He lives here?" asked TJ, curious to know more about her.   
  


"Not exactly," she said, "But he does watch over me." Before TJ could remark on that evasive and strange reply, Angelica suddenly got up. TJ looked up at her, confused. She looked at him apologetically.   
  


"I'm sorry TJ," she said, "But I hadn't realized it had gotten so late. I've got to go." She laid a hand on his cheek, "I did have a good time though." With those words, she left the cafe, leaving TJ alone. It was then that he saw that he was the only one around. It seemed strange how the place had emptied as quickly as it had filled. TJ didn't dwell on it for long as his thoughts turned to getting back to the Megaship.   
  


If anyone else had been around, they would have seen TJ stand up from his table, leaving his half-finished smoothie untouched. If they had been close enough, they would have noticed the sudden rigidity of his stance, and how a red glow suddenly flared from his dark eyes. In the shadows, one person was watching, with her own cruel smile. It grew wider, showing that the movements of the Blue Ranger had not been lost upon her. With a vicious chuckle, she watched as TJ walked away before vanishing away herself. Cyndra reappeared in the Dark Fortress, laughing now at the events that had played out this afternoon.   
  


"Oh, my plan is going so well!" she exclaimed, "That spell I placed on the Blue Ranger will completely inflame his jealousy! It should be enough to break apart the friendships that the Rangers hold so dear! And there's nothing that they can do about it...."   
  


* * *   
  


It was cold, so very, very cold. She could hear the whispers all around her, telling her things that she didn't want to know and didn't want to hear. "No, it isn't true!!" Her friends would never have abandoned her......   
  


But the whispers continued to intrude in on her mind, blackening her thoughts. Her vision seemed to be getting darker, as if everything was becoming washed in black and white. When she looked at herself in the mirror, her eyes looked almost black. Yet, she didn't find it repulsive. In a strange way, it was now attractive to her.   
  


"My friends haven't rescued me because they hate me," she whispered, echoing one of the deadly whispers. Her ears caught another, "They've never liked me, never liked me, never liked me."   
  


_So **why** should you like them? _   
  


_Why should **you** care about them? _   
  


_Aren't they now **your enemies**?_   
  


The haunting whispers continued to float about her. But now, she began to welcome them, embracing their meaning. She smiled, "Yes, the Rangers are my enemies. They never liked me. They never cared about me. I hate them! I hate them all!!" She felt a darkness seem to sweep over her, but instead of turning it away, she let it wash over her, caressing her body like a lover.   
  


Ashley Hammond turned towards the mirror once more and laughed as she saw her reflection. If the eyes truly were windows to the soul, then the windows to the Yellow Ranger's soul were now closed. For what Ashley saw in her reflection were eyes that were now completely black as midnight.   
  


The door to her chambers opened and a young man walked in. Ashley turned away from the mirror to face him, dark energy flashing in her eyes. He smiled as he moved towards her, slowly and quietly. She frowned in concentration, trying to identify this man who had dared enter her room. Within moments though, she knew exactly who he was and answered his smile with one of her own.   
  


"Red Ranger," she purred, her eyes now traveling carefully over his body.   
  


He raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Nice to see that you know me." He moved closer towards hers. She didn't move away.   
  


"Hard not to notice if you're the one wearing red," Ashley replied, looking pointedly at his crimson silk shirt that barely hid his well muscled chest. "Just like any other Ranger," she sneered, "We always wear our own colors."   
  


His body was now a few inches away from hers. Their eyes met, "You don't seem so repulsed by me now. Last time we met, you were ready to throttle me with your bare hands."   
  


"That was then, this is now," she cooed, winding her arms around his neck, "I've had a change of heart." Her eyes flashed black once again, "Besides, I have a feeling that being evil will be so much more fun......." No more words were said as she placed her mouth against his in what soon became a very heated and passionate kiss. By the time they broke apart, she looked at him with sparkling eyes, "I was right."   
  


He breathed deeply and chuckled, "I wish we had time for some more fun, but we've got work to do now." She raised an eyebrow, looking at him questioningly. He smiled, "Our mistress wants us to do some damage down in Angel Grove. We get to face off against the other Rangers."   
  


She tilted her head, "That's not work, that's going to be a whole lot of fun."   
  


Ashley was right. The Yellow and Red Astro Rangers were having fun shooting up Angel Grove's warehouse district. Ashley herself had never realized the ecstasy of watching a building go up in flames. Becoming evil had released much darkness inside her, and she was reveling in it. The two evil Rangers both knew that the other Power Rangers would be arriving soon. This was just their way of capturing their enemies' attention. They were not disappointed.   
  


Five streams of light appeared in the middle of the chaos, forming into five Power Rangers. The four Astro Rangers looked around at the destruction that had been wrought, not believing that it had been caused by the two Power Rangers - especially not one that they once considered their friend. Looking upon the Yellow Ranger now, no one could believe that she had once been working for the side of good. The joy that she took at the destruction of everything around her was all too real.   
  


"Ashley, what are you doing?!?" cried Cassie, hoping in vain that she could reach the woman who was once her best friend.   
  


"I'm having fun, what do you think I'm doing, Pink Ranger?" Ashley sneered at her former comrades, "I've finally found something that I truly enjoy!!" With that, she took her Star Slinger and fired off a volley of energy shots at the Rangers. The yellow energy shots landed, sending Rangers and pavement up into the air.   
  


The Yellow Ranger walked up to Andros, looking down at him. "Ah, the infamous Phantom Ranger! Nice to know you finally have the guts to show your face in Angel Grove, especially after all that mooning Cassie was doing. Or have you not even shown her your face yet?" As he tried to get up, she immediately kicked him back down.   
  


"Stop it!" cried Cassie from amongst a pile of rubble.   
  


"Oh what do you care?" demanded Ashley, turning towards the Pink Ranger, "Half the time when you weren't mooning over this bastard, you were hating him for leaving you alone." She looked back down at Andros, "Betcha didn't know that, did ya?" Without waiting for an answer, she started kicking him again.   
  


Suddenly, a pair of arms came from behind to grab Ashley. The Yellow Ranger found herself struggling in Carlos' arms. "Come on Ash, you don't want to be doing this, do you?"   
  


"No," she admitted, "I want to do this!!" Carlos was suddenly thrown through the air, landing on his back beside the Ruby Ranger. By now, Cassie had managed to crawl over to Andros, and was checking him over for any injuries.   
  


"How could you do this?" the Pink Ranger demanded, "We're your friends!!"   
  


"Not anymore," Ashley replied coldly, walking over to stand beside the Red Ranger. She turned towards him, "Shall we show them our surprise?"   
  


He nodded, "Sounds good to me." With a snap of his fingers, lightning shot down from the clear sky, forming into a grotesque monster. "Rangers, meet Rotinbot!" The Rangers weren't given much of a chance for any sort of introduction as the monster suddenly charged at them.   
  


The Rangers split off, with two facing the evil Rangers while the other three dealt with Rotinbot. Carlos was facing off against Ashley, while Marie went against the Red Ranger. Rotinbot's power, as was soon learned, dealt with rotting anything that it could touch, including the very ground it stood on. The Rangers found themselves dealing with so many holes in the ground, it began to look like they were fighting on Swiss cheese. With the addition of the two evil Rangers, they found themselves on the losing end of the fight.   
  


Metal clashed against metal as Marie brought up her Solar Sais against the Red Ranger's Spiral Saber. _Who are you?_ The question was dominant in Marie's thoughts. _I know now that you're not Andros. Since you're not Andros, then who is it that lies behind that stolen mask?_ With increased determination, she continued her fight.   
  


No weapons were being used between Carlos and Ashley. They were well matched although Carlos refused to move offensively against the Yellow Ranger while Ashley didn't care what she did, as long as she was hurting the Black Ranger.   
  


Meanwhile, the rest of the Rangers were at a loss over what to do against Rotinbot. Billy had called in, saying that he and Alpha would try and find something that could be used against the monster, but so far they hadn't any luck. Rotinbot was well equipped with energy beams which he used frequently against the three Rangers. Soon, he had them apart, which meant, vulnerable to a more lethal attack.   
  


Rotinbot positioned himself to face Andros, who was suddenly distracted into a fight with a Quantron. Both Cassie and TJ saw what was about to happen, but TJ was closer. The Blue Ranger was about to warn the Ruby Ranger, when suddenly he hesitated and stopped. Cassie, who had no trouble using her own voice, shouted out to Andros. Her warning gave the Ruby Ranger enough time to leap out of the range of Rotinbot's blade attack.   
  


"Andros, are you alright?" asked Cassie as she came up to him.   
  


He nodded, "Yeah, thanks to you love." They quickly embraced before heading off into battle once more, neither noticing TJ's reaction.   
  


In a sudden blaze of fury, he took out his Astro Axe and began a flurry of strikes at Rotinbot. It was an amazing sight to see as Rotinbot scrambled to defend himself. Within a few moments, TJ managed to take down all of the monster's defenses, leaving it wide open to an attack by the Rangers.   
  


"Phantom, Cassie, now!" said TJ, his Axe ready to fire an energy beam at Rotinbot. Cassie held out her Satellite Stunner, while Andros held out his sword. Red, pink and blue energy beams fired out at Rotinbot, blowing him up to bits.   
  


With all of the Rangers' attention now focused on them, the Red and Yellow Rangers knew that it was time for them to leave. Without warning, they suddenly leapt onto a nearby rooftop, looking down upon the Rangers. The Red Ranger clapped his hands. "Very good Rangers. We'll have to make sure to come up with something a little stronger next time." With those words, he and Ashley vanished away.   
  


There was a long silence before TJ finally spoke. "Let's go home guys." With heavy hearts, the five Rangers teleported away.   
  


* * *   
  


_It wasn't complete darkness that surrounded her, yet it wasn't light either. She could see, but not farther than beyond her hands. This wasn't something that she liked; she was used to being in control, to having things obey her commands. But nothing happened here the way she wanted. A command for light brought nothing but the continued silence that surrounded her. Everywhere she turned, there was nothing._   
  


_A bright light flashed, and a full-length mirror appeared before her, settling upon the ground. The frame was gold, carved in an intricate design. The carving at the top was of an angel, its wings spread out. The arms looked as if they were reaching out towards her, almost as if in an embrace. The glass used for the mirror was of a very high quality, and reflected brightly whatever light managed to touch its slick surface._   
  


_She stepped towards it, knowing that it was the right thing to do. As she continued to walk forwards though, the reflection she saw in the mirror wasn't her own. At least, it wasn't the one that she had known to be hers. The woman staring back at her looked like her, but she had short blonde, straight hair, whereas she was more used to seeing herself with long, curly, wildly colored hair. The heavy makeup that she usually had on was gone as well, showing off a fresh face of undeniable beauty. Her clothing was strange as well: a set of gray pants and jacket overtop a purple shirt. Black boots encased her feet, completing the look._   
  


_As she continued to look at herself, she sensed a feeling that this was her reflection, her true reflection. A name whispered in the air: Karone. That word swirled around her, repeating itself until its very inflection was ingrained into her head. She closed her eyes, as an assault of images created havoc with her mind. People and places that she was sure she had never seen appeared before her, and she knew them all to be familiar._   
  


_One scene stood out before all the others: two children playing. A young girl and boy were playing with what looked like a floating ball. The girl, had long, curly, blonde hair and was dressed in a beige and black jumpsuit. The boy, her brother (how had she known that?), had striped hair of contrasting shades of brown and blond. He was dressed in a red jumpsuit. The ball suddenly floated away, and the boy went chasing after it._   
  


_"No," she whispered, for the first time speaking in this dark place, "Don't leave me........" She was frightened, though she knew not why. It was almost as if she knew what was going to happen next. But she never got to find out what happened, for the scene flickered and vanished into the air._   
  


_The darkness surrounded her again. She knew not where to turn next. She hugged her arms around herself, suddenly feeling very alone and frightened. A clicking of heels suddenly sounded, becoming louder, until it seemed to surround her entire being. It was a familiar clicking, one that she heard for much of her adult life. It was because she wore heeled boots and those heels clicked like that on the floor._   
  


_A figure emerged from the darkness. She bit back a gasp. One of the first lessons she had ever learned was never to show fear. But how could she not fear this, the very mirror image of herself? But as she looked down upon her own body, she realized that this wasn't true. She was dressed in the gray jacket and pants now, with the purple shirt and black boots. Feeling her hair, she found that it was straight. It was probably blonde now too._   
  


_The other, tilted her head, watching as her eyes examined her. After a long moment, she smiled. It was a cold, cruel smile that she easily recognized, having used it on tiny minions many times herself. "You don't know who you are, do you?"_   
  


_"I am Astronema!" she cried, confused by her reflection's words._   
  


_The reflection only shook her head, "No, you are not. You are the one who's name has been wiped from our memory. A memory that is now surfacing once again."_   
  


_She was now even more confused, "What? What are you talking about?"_   
  


_"We were not always me. Once, long ago, we were you," answered the reflection, an almost sad smile decorating its face, "And I cannot allow us to become you." Without further words, the Wrath Staff appeared in her hands. In one swift move, Astronema found herself impaled upon her own weapon, blood dripping down the metallic pole that now emerged from her body._   
  


It was late at night when inside the Dark Fortress, a young woman awoke, sitting straight up in her bed. Still in shock from the dream, her hands flew immediately to her stomach. Finding no wounds, she drew her knees to her chest and began rocking back and forth. Hot tears ran down her pale face as she remembered all the images her dream had presented. She cried for the woman she had become, the child she now remembered being, and the woman that she might have been, had not the seeds of evil been planted into her soul. 


	5. What Lies In The Heart

**Disclaimer:** _Power Rangers doesn't belong to me. The characters of Marie Fox and Cyndra don't belong to me, so please don't use them without permission. _   
  


**Author's Notes: **_Actually, this is more of a warning than anything. There is mention of homosexuality in this, pertaining to one of the former Rangers. If you don't like, ignore the whole reunion section, or don't bother reading the story at all. Read if you like and review constructively please, but flames are used to toast marshmallows._ ^_^   
  


**What Lies In The Heart**

**By: Jade Daniels**   
  


It was the aftermath of the Astro Rangers' battle against one of their own, Ashley Hammond, the Yellow Ranger. All was quiet aboard the Astro Megaship as the occupants went about their duties with a subdued air. Upon their shoulders was the knowledge that there was now not just one, but two evil Rangers fighting against them.   
  


On the Simudeck, Carlos and TJ were sparring, an activity which normally would have helped relieved their stress. However, instead of achieving a balance in the fight, Carlos was continuously put on the defensive by TJ, who kept dealing out blows recklessly. It was as if the Blue Ranger wasn't even thinking about what he was doing, just striking out whenever the opportunity came up. When TJ's foot nearly came in contact with his head, Carlos finally called the fight to a stop.   
  


"What's the matter with you?!?" he panted, glaring at the Blue Ranger.   
  


TJ looked at him strangely, "What do you mean?"   
  


"You're fighting like a maniac," Carlos said bluntly, "You're letting your anger do the fighting and I think I know why." He paused for a moment. "Andros and Cassie."   
  


"I don't know what you're talking about," TJ said, looking uncomfortable.   
  


"I saw what happened in the battle against Rotinbot Teej," Carlos said quietly, "You can't deny that you hesitated to help Andros when you had the opportunity. Then after Cassie helped to make sure that Andros was okay, you were all over Rotinbot. Don't tell me that you weren't fighting with your emotions then."   
  


The Blue Ranger was quiet for a moment before he spoke. "Alright, so I'm jealous of Andros," he admitted, "So what?"   
  


"So what?!?" Carlos looked at him in amazement, "If you're not thinking while fighting, you could get yourself killed! Teej, you're not behaving like a Ranger, and sooner or later its going to end up hurting the team."   
  


"Are you telling me to just forget about how I feel then?" demanded TJ   
  


"No," Carlos shook his head, "But you've got to keep a better head about all of this."   
  


"Well, what about you and Ashley?" TJ pointed a finger at the Black Ranger, "You can't tell me that what's happening with Ash isn't affecting you! You cannot possibly like seeing her with the Red Ranger."   
  


"Of course, I don't," replied Carlos, trying to keep his temper, "But it's not what you think. Ash is my best friend, always has been and always will be. Nothing more. I see her in a dangerous situation and of course I'm not going to like it. But I haven't let that turn me into some hot-headed Ranger!"   
  


"If Ash is only a friend to you, then you can't possibly understand what I'm going through," TJ said bitterly, "Nor how I feel."   
  


"How do you feel?" asked Carlos.   
  


"I'm in love with her," TJ said softly. He sighed, "I've loved Cassie from the moment that I met her. I always thought that one day, you know, that I'd be able to tell her how I feel. Of course, then _he_ came back into her life."   
  


Carlos didn't know what to say, having never realized just how deep TJ's feelings were for the Pink Astro Ranger. What he couldn't tell his friend though was that he really did understand those feelings, having found his own love a long time ago. But that had been then, and he had to deal with the present. TJ's behavior was becoming self-destructive and if he didn't find a way to deal with it soon, it could destroy the entire team.   
  


* * *   
  


Ecliptor was worried. As he watched Astronema looking out a window, he knew that something was wrong with his Princess. Actually, he had noticed that there had been something different with her beginning a couple of weeks ago, about the time that Cyndra had come aboard. He knew that Dark Specter's granddaughter had already begun some sort of campaign to take over the Dark Fortress. Unfortunately, Astronema had hardly paid any attention to it, allowing Cyndra to continue without any opposition.   
  


This was what had Ecliptor so concerned. After the hatred that Astronema had shown towards Cyndra, it was hard for the crystalline warrior to believe that his Princess would allow such subterfuge to carry on. Cyndra was willing to do anything and everything to get what she wanted. His eyes glowed briefly at the memory of the night before, when Cyndra had tried propositioning him into working against Astronema. He had flatly refused, but the memory still rankled in his mind.   
  


Astronema suddenly turned away from the window to look at him, her face showing some sort of confusion. "Ecliptor, how did I come to you?"   
  


"What do you mean Princess?" he asked, walking towards her.   
  


"I mean, how is it that I came to be in your charge?" she clarified laying the Wrath Staff to one side. "Lately...." she faltered a moment, "Lately, I have been wondering about who I am. Rather, who I was, before I came to you. I know that when I was first with you, I had no memory of who I was, like a blank slate." She tilted her head up at him, "I thought perhaps you would be able to help me."   
  


Astronema suddenly looked hesitant, almost shy. It was then that Ecliptor saw not the vaunted Princess of Evil, but the scared little girl that had been left upon his doorstep fourteen years ago. Despite the fact that he had been trained as a warrior, Ecliptor found himself sitting down beside the young woman, putting a protective arm around her shoulders. She rewarded him with a grateful smile.   
  


"I will try to tell you what I can Princess," he said softly. "I myself am not entirely sure how you came into my possession, other than the fact that you were left at my doorstep. There was no note with you, nothing to identify who you were or where you had come from. The only thing you did have on you, was that silver locket." Astronema looked down at the piece of jewelry; it was something that she was never without. Ecliptor continued, "You came with me when I met with Dark Specter. He took an interest in you and left me with training you. The rest, you know."   
  


Astronema nodded, "But I know nothing before that time. You were the one who called me 'Astronema' and it is the only name I have ever known. Sometimes though, I get this feeling that I has another name, another life." She looked down at the floor, "I keep hearing this name in my head: Karone."   
  


"Karone?" asked Ecliptor, curious as to what the name could mean.   
  


"Yes, Karone," said a new voice, one full of hatred. Astronema and Ecliptor looked to see Cyndra smiling from the doorway. In her hands she held a shining recording disc. Her sapphire eyes glared at Astronema, "Little Karone from the planet KO-35." She pointed at Astronema, "You."   
  


Astronema stood up, grabbing her staff, "What the hell are you talking about Cyndra?!?"   
  


Cyndra flipped the disc into the air, pointing a beam of light from her finger at it. Suddenly, pictures began forming in the air, obviously from the disc itself. Astronema blinked, immediately recognizing the pictures from her dreams. "No, it can't be!!" She barely realized that she had spoken out loud.   
  


"Oh, but it is _Karone_," Cyndra sneered, "That is you, as a child of KO-35, on the day that you were taken away." The mage walked over to the Princess of Evil, slapping her in the face. "Did you really think that you, a stupid little nobody from a dead planet could take my place here?!? You have no right to be here and certainly no right to be a warrior in Dark Specter's empire! You haven't even a drop of evil in your blood!!"   
  


Astronema reeled back from the blow into Ecliptor's arms, but instead of the comforting arms she had been expecting, the warrior tightened his grip upon her, keeping her trapped. She looked up into Ecliptor's now lifeless eyes. "Ecliptor?!?" She turned to face Cyndra, "What have you done with him?!?"   
  


"He wouldn't agree to join me willingly, so I did something to convince him," Cyndra smiled as she snapped her fingers. "It's the same thing I've done with all of your servants." The Red and Yellow Rangers, along with a contingent of Quantrons came into the room.   
  


Astronema could immediately see who they belonged to. "You've stolen them all," she said softly, her eyes blazing hatred at Dark Specter's granddaughter. "You planning to do a little _convincing_ on me too?"   
  


"I thought about it," admitted Cyndra, tapping a finger to her chin, "But I decided not to. The thought of having you on board everyday is enough to make me sick. Having to look at your face would be even worse. Oh, don't think I'm going to kill you though. I've decided to let others do that for me."   
  


"What do you mean?" demanded Astronema as she struggled in Ecliptor's arms.   
  


"Simple. I'm sending you to Angel Grove." With those words, Cyndra snapped her fingers and Astronema vanished away in a blaze of purple light.   
  


* * *   
  


Leathery claws typed up commands on the computer panel. The entire room was barely lit, but that didn't matter to a creature who could see in the dark. Darkonda's eyes were focused on the screen before him, trying to pick out the one signal he was looking for. So far, his searches had come to nothing, although it hadn't been from lack of trying. He knew that his son had landed on Earth. He only had to continue his search before he would finally find him.   
  


A loud beep sounded loudly above the clicking computer keys, the only warning he had before Cyndra's face appeared on his communication screen. Her sapphire eyes bore down upon the monster, looking annoyed and pleased at the same time. She held up a disc; Darkonda recognized it as the one he had sold to her. "I must say Darkonda, I was very pleased with the results of this. As of this moment, I have become commander of the Dark Fortress."   
  


"Thank you and congratulations," the monster replied cautiously, knowing that wasn't the reason why Cyndra had called.   
  


"But what I do want to know," she continued, "Is what are you still doing here? Your payment must have been received into your account by now."   
  


He heard the warning in her voice and thought quickly. He would hate himself for what he was about to do. Pushing a button on his computer panel, he brought out a set of five computer cards. "I had something else to sell to you." He held up the cards, allowing Cyndra to inspect them for herself.   
  


Her raised an eyebrow in interest, "Are those what I think they are?"   
  


"Yes," he confirmed, waving the cards, "The Psycho Cards. Input them into a replicator and the proper morphers will be created." He smirked, although he was cringing inside, "I think that you can think of a proper use for them."   
  


She smiled, her eyes gleaming, "Yes indeed."   
  


"I think I'll stick around for the show then," he said, now having given himself the excuse needed to stay in Earth's orbit. He spoke again, his voice now slightly shaky, "I'll send the cards over once I've received payment."   
  


Cyndra nodded, "Very well." With those words, the screen went to black.   
  


Darkonda sighed, shaking his head as he lay down the cards. "It had to be done," he murmured, "There was no other way." He closed his eyes, knowing that there had been no true justification for what he had just done. He knew what destruction would come once he released those cards in Cyndra's hands. "Solrac my son, I hope you can forgive me."   
  


* * *   
  


Four months. It had been only four months ago that she had been alone, out looking for revenge against Dark Specter. It was hard to believe that only such a short amount of time had pass. There had been so many changes in Marie's life, that sometimes, it was hard to believe that they had all come to pass. As she watched Andros sitting across from her, the Gold Ranger knew herself to have been very lucky these past few months.   
  


Before, she had believed her entire world to be dead and herself to be the last surviving Kerovian Ranger. She had been in the middle of a suicide mission, all to avenge herself with Dark Specter's life. Now, the Astro Rangers were a full team once more. It was a team that she trusted as much as the old. Marie smiled at that thought. Andros, the former Red Astro Ranger was now back in her life as the Ruby Ranger and had been accepted as part of the new team.   
  


Her smiled deepened as her thoughts led to a certain member of the new team: Billy. Marie would thank whatever gods had led her to meet with the handsome and intelligent human from Earth. He was a constant in her life now and she couldn't imagine herself without him anymore. Honestly, she couldn't imagine her life without any of her new friends anymore.   
  


"Watch out!" exclaimed Andros, suddenly breaking into her thoughts. He watched in dismay as the telekenesis ball fell unceremoniously between them. The two Kerovians had been practicing with the ball in his quarters. Not only had it given them the chance to increase their telekenetic skills, but they were able to have some private time to talk as well.   
  


Marie caught the ball as it bounced on the floor. She looked sheepishly at Andros, "Sorry, my mind wandered."   
  


"I can see that," he chuckled, "Should I put this on a lighter setting maybe?"   
  


She shook her head, "No, that's alright. I've got to keep in practice after all. I won't let my mind wander again."   
  


He nodded, watching as she set the ball into the air with her mind. The ball was launched towards him and he deftly caught it, sending it with a twirl back to Marie. "So, what were you thinking about?" He tilted his head, looking at her with a knowing eye. "As if I need to ask. Blond hair, blue eyes......"   
  


"It wasn't about Billy!" she protested hotly, although her cheeks were becoming red. He raised an eyebrow, "Okay, so a bit of was about him! I was mostly thinking about how so many things had changed in my life these past four months. I mean, a lot of things have happened."   
  


Andros smiled in understanding, "Changes for the better."   
  


"Not all for the better," she reminded him gently, "There's still the Red Ranger and Ashley."   
  


"That's true," he agreed, "It seems that evil Rangers never go out of style."   
  


"Who do you think he is?" she asked.   
  


Andros sighed, "I wish I knew. But I lost consciousness after during the last battle on Kerova. I hadn't even realized that I had lost my morpher until the Mynarin Healers told me. I do remember feeling something though, those first few days on Ithta. Almost as if my body was being torn apart. The Healers realized what was happening, that somehow the connection between me and my morpher was being warped. Afterwards, they were able to sever my connection with it. But I wasn't able to tell just who was using the powers."   
  


"Can you tell now?" asked Marie. The ball had now been long forgotten, laying on her lap.   
  


"No," Andros shook his head with regret, "I can't."   
  


"Well, at least you do have powers though," she smiled.   
  


Andros looked down at the gold ring on his finger, his morpher. It was a simple band with no particular design, only a small ruby set in the center. The small jewel gave no indication as to the power that was held within it. On impulse, he pulled out a silver ring from his waist pouch. It was of the same design except that there was an amethyst stone in place of the ruby.   
  


Marie looked curiously at it. "What's that?"   
  


"The Amethyst morpher. On Ithta, prospective Rangers have to go through a Gem Ceremony to see which gem they will carry. It's similar to how the Ninjetti are chosen on Phaedos. During my ceremony, I was given the Ruby and the Amethyst gems. I knew immediately that the Ruby was mine." Andros paused, this time to take off the locket that hung around his neck. Quietly, he opened it, revealing two pictures: a boy and a girl. "It's been fourteen years Marie." He held up the silver ring, "This is what gives me hope that I'll find her one day."   
  


"You think that's for her?" she asked.   
  


"I know it is," he whispered, "It has to be."   
  


* * *   
  


Astronema found herself standing in the middle of Angel Grove park, thankfully in a secluded area so that she was alone. The last thing she needed was for anyone to see her on Earth. Acting upon instinct, she immediately transformed her costume to one more suitable for a human on Earth. Letting her magic do the work, her wild pink hair became short and blonde. The heavy makeup she usually sported was minimized to highlight her features. Her clothing now consisted of a purple silk tank top, black leather pants and black boots.   
  


With that accomplished, Astronema finally allowed her mind to absorb all that had happened in the past few moments. Her life had gone completely upside down! She was no longer in command of the Dark Fortress, all her former servants had been turned against her and Cyndra now had complete control. Dark Specter's granddaughter had planned well and Astronema knew it. Now that she was on the outside, she knew that she had to do something.   
  


Her mind was also trying to sort through what Cyndra had said earlier about her heritage. Much of what the mage had said echoed the dreams that she had been having. Astronema knew not what to make of it, as she remembered very little of her own childhood. As always, she only remembered becoming Ecliptor's trainee at Dark Specter's command. She never remembered any other life.   
  


_Astronema is the Princess of Evil, with royal blood flowing through her veins. That's all that I've ever known. But, could have I been someone else, someone that I just don't remember? _ Astronema remembered her dream image, stabbing her with the Wrath Staff because...... _Because I don't want to remember? Or is it, that I **can't** remember?_ Suddenly, her fingers went to the silver locket that hung around her neck. Without realizing what she was doing, she opened it, looking at the two pictures inside.   
  


A boy and a girl.   
  


A brother and a sister.   
  


_Her_ brother.   
  


A name appeared in her mind: Andros.   
  


Andros? Why was that name so damned familiar? Andros and Karone, two names that continually floated around in her consciousness. If Karone was her, then was this Andros her brother? If so, where was he now?   
  


There were too many questions for Astronema to sort out. Doubt lingered on every thought, every memory, every single thing she believed she ever knew. She only knew one thing for certain, that Cyndra had taken away what she had thought was her home and her only true friend: Ecliptor. Even if she could never again recover her identity, she could at least, recover him.   
  


"Somehow, someway, I promise to get you back Ecliptor," she whispered, "I promise." With those words, Astronema vanished beneath the shadows of the trees.   
  


* * *   
  


"Yes, finally, food!" Rocky grinned at the sight of all the food being laid out on the picnic blanket.   
  


Kat laughed, "Nice to know that some things really never do change!"   
  


"How is it that you've managed to actually keep the refrigerator full is beyond me," agreed Adam, slapping his friend on the back.   
  


Billy smiled, enjoying the easy bantering. He hadn't realized how much he missed his old friends until now. The reunion wasn't so much of a party as it was just a simple gathering. While the main reason for the reunion was to celebrate Billy's return to Earth, it was also a chance to do some catching up. The former Rangers had decided on a picnic in a relatively quiet part of Angel Grove park. Here, they would be able to talk about everything without worrying about eavesdroppers.   
  


The Silver Ranger looked around at the three others who had managed to attend; Jason, Trini and Aisha were nearby playing a game of frisbee. Only four people hadn't been able to come. Zack was away in Europe, participating in a study tour. Kimberly was continuing her gymnastics training in Florida and attending university there. Tanya was in Africa, visiting her old village for a few weeks before returning to her radio job in Boston.   
  


"Hey Kat," said Billy, looking at the tall Australian who was visiting for the week, "Have you heard from Tommy lately?"   
  


Katherine blinked, momentarily coloring in her cheeks. "Well actually, I haven't heard from him in a few months actually. Last I heard, he was up in Canada, racing on the Indy tracks in Vancouver and Toronto."   
  


"You mean you don't know?" asked Trini, as she, Jason and Aisha walked up from their game.   
  


The former Pink Ranger shook her head, "Tommy and I haven't been keeping steady communications for months now." She bit her lip, "Actually, we've recently decided to start seeing other people." This bit of news was met with gasps by everyone. "It was a mutual decision."   
  


The look in Katherine's eyes told Billy another story though. He could see that Kat had been hurt by the breakup, more than she was willing to admit at the moment. By the way the others were looking at each other, he could tell that they saw it too. They all knew that what Kat needed now was time to sort herself out. And time was what they were going to give her.   
  


"Don't worry about it," smiled Aisha, settling herself beside Kat, "There's always plenty of other guys out there!" The former Yellow Ranger chuckled, "Not that I would actually look for other guys, but, well, you get the idea."   
  


The others chuckled, knowing full well what Aisha meant. It had been a couple of months ago that she had announced where her romantic preferences lay. In had been a shock at first to find out that Aisha was a lesbian, but all the Rangers had eventually accepted it. It wasn't as if she flaunted it; everyone still saw her as the same Aisha they all knew and love.   
  


The sad mood broken, other bits of news and gossip soon trickled in. While much of it was old news for the others, some of it still new to Billy. Trini and Jason were living together now in an apartment near Angel Grove University, where they were studying. They still hadn't planned out a date for their wedding yet, but they thought that sometime within the next year would be best. Rocky was teaching at a local dojo, with an eye on becoming a partner within a few years, once he got his business degree. Adam was continuing in stunt work, something that he found he really enjoyed. Along with that, he was also taking night classes at a local college.   
  


The biggest news of all was from Billy himself. Zordon's kidnaping shocked everyone, although instinctively, they had all felt something wrong even before they heard this. It was hoped by all that their mentor would soon be found alive and well.   
  


"Rangers from all over the galaxy are watching out for him," Billy informed them, "But the AoE is keeping him well hidden. All we can do is keep trying."   
  


"I'm sure he'll come back to us," replied Jason, trying to keep his voice light. Trini hugged him closer and he hugged tightly back, both needing the reassurance of each other's presence.   
  


"I propose a toast," said Rocky, his voice slightly shaking. He held his plastic cup up high, "To Zordon, our mentor and friend. May he know freedom once again."   
  


Tears blurring their eyes, the other Rangers held up their glasses. Their voices rang as one, "To Zordon, and his freedom."   
  


* * *   
  


A trembling finger traced the metal edge of the picture frame. Dark eyes looked sadly upon the photograph, taken a year ago. T.J. sighed as took hold of the frame, sitting down upon his bed. The picture was one of him and Cassie, a few weeks after they been chosen to become the Turbo Rangers. Cassie had had both arms around his waist, her hair flying in the wind, looking wild and free. They had both looked so, happy together.   
  


_Of course, that was before the Phantom Ranger showed up in our lives._   
  


It hadn't taken the then Red Ranger long to realize that Cassie had been infatuated with the mysterious Ranger. She had even confessed to him that she had felt some sort of connection between herself and Phantom. It had broken his heart to hear her say that, but as always, he had kept his feelings hidden behind a mask of simple friendship.   
  


After the Phantom Ranger left, he had felt some sort of hope that he would finally have a chance with Cassie. But it never happened. There was always something, or someone in his way. TJ's unspoken love for the Pink Astro Ranger was a case of could've, should've, but didn't. Now, it was too late. Andros was back in Cassie's life. TJ clenched his fist, pounding it into the mattress. 

"Dammit," he muttered, "Why couldn't it have been me?" Tears began to well up in his eyes. "Why couldn't it have been me?!?" The hot liquid ran down his cheeks, splashing onto the picture frame he still held in his hand. "Why?!?" With those words, he threw the silver frame across the room, hearing it crash against the wall before dropping to the floor.   
  


TJ's eyes glowed red as he began throwing around everything in sight. His voice grew louder as he continued to shout, "She should have been mine!!" A lamp was thrown, plunging the room into semi-darkness, "Mine!!" He overturned his chair, "He never should have gotten her!" His fists pounded against the wall, "Why couldn't it have been me?"   
  


As his rampage continued, he never noticed as DECA sounded the alarms nor as his door opened, pouring light into the dark room. Gasps of surprise sounded, turning into worried voices. All the Blue Ranger saw was Andros standing at the doorway. His thoughts only focused on his rival, TJ launched himself at the Ruby Ranger with all the fury he contained. It wasn't until strong arms began to restrain him that he finally regained his senses. Blinking, he looked to see Carlos and Alpha holding his arms, locking them behind his back. With Andros and Marie behind them, they forced him towards the medical bay.   
  


"DECA, what's wrong with him?" asked Marie.   
  


"Unknown," answered the ship computer, "Preliminary scans show nothing unusual physiologically."   
  


"Great, just what we need, some unknown virus running around the ship!" growled Carlos, "Alpha, make sure to do a full medical scan on him. Check for alien viruses, and the like."   
  


"Make sure to check for spells or anything else magical in nature," added Andros.   
  


"Right!" answered the robot as they continued to drag the unwilling Blue Ranger down the hallways.   
  


The group found Cassie already in the medical bay. Andros quickly explained the situation while Carlos and Alpha restrained TJ to one of the beds. The Blue Ranger was still struggling despite his bonds, now even more so as he watched Andros and Cassie together. His eyes were no longer glowing red, so no one knew what to make of his condition. Carlos, recalling his earlier conversation with TJ, noticed how agitated the Blue Ranger seemed at seeing Andros and Cassie together.   
  


"Cassie, step away from Andros!" the Black Ranger exclaimed. Startled, Cassie did as he asked. As she put some distance between herself and the Ruby Ranger, TJ began to quiet down.   
  


Marie immediately noticed the reaction. She looked over at Carlos, "What's going on?"   
  


Carlos sighed, at a complete loss for what to say. Even in TJ's current condition, he didn't know if he should be betraying the Blue Ranger's trust. Also, this didn't just concern TJ, but Andros and Cassie as well. Hell, it practically concerned the whole team! He shook his head, wondering just how this crisis could be solved.   
  


Suddenly, everything was taken out of Carlos' hands.   
  


"I love you Cassie." The room was quiet as everyone looked at TJ who had closed his eyes smiling.   
  


The Pink Ranger looked at Carlos. "Did..... did he mean that?" Numbly, Carlos nodded. Without another word, Cassie ran out of the room, with Andros following close behind.   
  


* * *   
  


"Cassie!" The Pink Ranger turned around at the sound of her name to find Andros behind her. He stopped beside her. "Cassie, where are you going?"   
  


"Just to be myself," she answered, "Please Andros, I need to be alone." She looked at him with pleading eyes.   
  


He sighed, pulled her close and kissed her on the forehead. "Just, be careful, okay?"   
  


She nodded, "I will." She knew that he wouldn't follow her. From the Astro Megaship, Cassie teleported herself to a section of Angel Grove beach. It was quiet this time of day so she was alone. For that, she was grateful. Cassie didn't think that she would be able to talk to anyone about this.   
  


TJ loved her. Three such simple words that changed her entire perspective of the Blue Ranger. Sitting on a log bench, Cassie took her eyes away form the sight of the ocean. Cradling her head in her hands, she wondered how she could have been so blind. How could she not have seen how much TJ cared for her? Memories of the Blue Ranger flooded Cassie's mind. In hindsight, she could now see all the little hints he had shown.   
  


"Oh TJ," she murmured, "Why did it have to be me? Why couldn't you have fallen for someone else?" She knew the answer to that though. No one could control their own hearts. No one could choose who they would fall in love with. It was impossible.   
  


She loved Andros. Cassie knew this to be a fact with all of her heart. Now, that knowledge was bittersweet. The last thing she had ever wanted to do was to break someone's heart, especially TJ's. Cassie had always considered him to be her best friend, being the first friend she made when arriving in Angel Grove. She loved him like a brother, having always looked to him for advice and support.   
  


She vividly remembered asking him so much about the Phantom Ranger. _God, that must have been so hard for him! I can't believe that he just listened to me ramble on and on about Andros!_ He had loved her enough then that all he wanted was for her to be happy.   
  


But then, what about his behavior now? If he had managed to stand beside her before while she was talking about Andros, then why did he seem so unstable now? Was it because he now had to face the reality of her and Andros together? Had the knowledge of him losing her just been too much to bear? She wish she knew.   
  


* * *   
  


Cyndra was pleased. Well, she had every right to be, didn't she? Astronema was finally out of the Dark Fortress, exposed as the weakling that she was. The information that Darkonda had supplied had been most surprising and very useful. Cyndra hadn't really thought she'd managed to eliminate her rival so quickly and easily.   
  


Dark Specter had been pleased with her recent report, even congratulating her for getting rid of Astronema. But now wasn't the time for celebrations, as her grandfather had reminded her. The job of destroying the Rangers was now her responsibility. While she may have the upper hand at the moment, she couldn't allow herself to become overconfident and underestimating the Rangers as many of her predecessors had.   
  


_But one thing my predecessors didn't have was their own **team** of Rangers!_ Cyndra smirked, looking at the case that held the five precious Psycho Cards, so kindly supplied by Darkonda. As he had said, she knew _exactly_ what to do with them. By the time she was finished, the Rangers would rue the day they ever heard the name Cyndra.   
  


* * *   
  


**Second Author's Notes:** _This is just to clarify a few things: TJ's love for Cassie is real and not spell induced. The only thing that Cyndra did to him was to increase his jealousy towards Andros. Oh, by the next fic, the Red Ranger's identity will be revealed, along with a few other things. Thanks as always go to Cynthia for beta-reading and Greeneyes for her ever continuous input. _^_^ 


	6. Thoughts and Revelations

**Author's Notes:** _Power Ranger's don't belong to me. The characters Marie Fox and Cyndra both belong to Greeneyes, so don't use without permission. _   
  


**Thoughts and Revelations**

**By: Jade Daniels**   
  


Divatox had to ask herself, what was the point of her mission? It wasn't as if she had the entire Eltarian army after her. Couldn't Dark Specter simply keep Zordon with himself? After all, the leader of the Alliance of Evil certainly had enough power himself to take on whatever may come his way, even without the extra boost he was getting from Zordon. The Pirate Queen knew that he didn't need her to be doing this, especially when all of the planets of the Alliance of Good were being distracted by other villains from around the galaxy.   
  


The mission was boring. No matter how important it was to Dark Specter, in the end, it was simply boring. The only exciting thing that had happened was when the Silver Ranger - Billy Cranston - had tried to stop them a few months ago. Divatox still wondered how the hell he had managed to escape her ship. She had been having so much fun with him.......   
  


She sighed quietly so as not to be heard by any of the Piranatrons that surrounded her. Once, she had been feared as the Pirate Queen of the Galaxy. She hadn't held any allegiance to anyone, least of all Dark Specter. In fact, she had planned to marry his brother, Malicore, once she had awakened him from his slumber. She had been feared throughout the galaxy. Everyone had cringed at the very thought of her. That of course, had all been before the Power Rangers.   
  


Divatox's eye glowed crimson at the thought of the pesky brats that had so often thwarted her plans for the domination of Earth. She had thought to have her revenge on the planet that had housed the heros. Unfortunately, that plan had led to her downfall. Time after time, she had lost to the Turbo Rangers, finding herself deeper and deeper in debt as she continued to bring in monster after monster to try and destroy her enemies.   
  


In the end Dark Specter had been her savior with the offer for her to join the Alliance of Evil. She hadn't had any choice, and they had both known it. It had been with his help that she had managed to scrape together enough resources to finally take down the Power Ranger's home base. But that had been the catalyst that had brought her to her current dilemma.   
  


Dammit, she was a pirate!! _The_ Pirate Queen of Space!! It wasn't her in her job description to be toting around a prisoner like cargo, and not even getting a worthwhile pay! Zordon may have been one of the great Morphin' Masters of old, but now he was getting weaker, Dark Specter was making sure of that.   
  


In a strange way, Divatox almost wished for the days when she was constantly battling the Turbo Rangers. At least then, she had had something to do, even if it had been losing all the time. She brought her eyes towards one of the many windows that were built into her ship. Looking at the stars that occupied the universe, she wondered if she would ever get her life back.   
  


_I hope that this war ends soon, then I **will** get my life back._   
  


Someone else was having similar thoughts down in the cargo bay of Divatox's space ship. In one hidden corner, there was a large cylinder with a blue light glowing from it. From the outside, all one could see was a giant head, surrounded by fog. Inside though, there stood what appeared to be a weak old man, standing within a swirling mist. He was Zordon, an Eltarian Wizard, a Morphin Master, and the founder of one of the greatest Power Ranger teams in galactic history.   
  


Right now though, he hardly felt worthy of any of those titles. He had spent over ten thousand years trapped in a time warp before. When he had been freed almost three years ago, he had never thought he would be trapped within one of these things again. _It just goes to show how stupid I was, and how so damned sure that I could never fall into one of Dark Specter's traps! And here I am, once again confined in one of these insidious time warps._   
  


Not for the first time, he wondered where Alpha 5 was at the moment. The robot had been with him for so long, it was strange to find himself without his assistant. In the attack by Dark Specter's forces on Eltar, Zordon and Alpha had become separated. Afterwards, he and his life energy had been contained in the cylinder prison, while Alpha had simply vanished. Zordon could only hope that the little robot was still alive somewhere in the galaxy.   
  


Alpha 5 wasn't Zordon's only concern. There were others who's whereabouts were unknown. Dimitria and the Blue Senturion, who had been on their way from Earth to Eltar, had also disappeared. Whether they had been killed or captured, Zordon didn't know. Yet, having received no news about them, he could only hope that they too were still alive and well.   
  


_I pray that I will not lose any more friends before this war is over._   
  


~ * ~ * ~ * ~   
  


"Hey, do you want to talk?" Andros looked up to see Carlos standing over him. How the Black Ranger had managed to find him, he didn't question. Even after the few months that he had been with the Astro Rangers, he had found that Carlos had an uncanny ability to find things that he wanted. Without waiting for an answer, Carlos sat down beside him on the sidewalk bench. Both Rangers were silent for a few minutes before Carlos spoke again.   
  


"You knew how he felt." It was more of a statement than a question.   
  


Andros didn't look at him, but simply answered, "Yes."   
  


He couldn't say that he hadn't known. On top of being telepathic and telekenetic, he was also empathic. A triple gift, one that had allowed him to feel TJ's jealousy and love the moment he had stepped aboard the Astro Megaship. Feelings that intense were hard to mask, especially in an untrained mind. It was one of the reasons that Andros had avoided Cassie those first few days. He had wanted to give her time to decide who she wanted, even if it had meant losing her. It hadn't occurred to him though that Cassie _hadn't_ known of TJ's feelings.   
  


Carlos sighed, and in that one expression, Andros felt the pain and worry that the Black Ranger had been experiencing over the past month. He couldn't blame him; everyone's emotions had been tense since TJ's breakdown. Even now, the Blue Ranger hadn't recovered and was still confined to the Medical Bay. Alpha and DECA had yet to find a cause or cure for the ailing Ranger. Because of that, Carlos had taken over as leader of the team.   
  


To make things worse, Cassie had been avoiding _him_. He could understand why she was. She was feeling guilt over TJ's condition, and being around him was making things worse. If TJ, one of her best friends, had to suffer, then she would have to suffer too, especially since she considered herself the cause. But understanding it and being happy about were not the same thing, and Andros was as unhappy as everyone else was about the whole situation.   
  


He had talked with Marie about it a few days ago. Unfortunately, she hadn't had any better ideas about what to do than he had. But she had promised him that she would talk with Cassie. He hoped that the Gold Ranger would be able to convince Cassie to come and talk to him. They had to find a way to resolve this and soon.   
  


Not that Astronema or Cyndra had been much help lately by giving them any sort of rest. The past month had been plagued by attacks from different monsters, mutants, robots as well as the Red and Yellow Astro Rangers. None of the attacks seemed to have been connected with one another. It was as if the villains had taken to blowing up things up randomly for fun.   
  


_Which may be exactly what they're trying to do._   
  


"No matter who you are, love is never easy," Carlos suddenly broke into Andros' thoughts. "I ought to know." The Black Ranger looked at him, laughter in his brown eyes. "You wouldn't believe how many trials I had to go through before I finally got my w... uh, girlfriend to even go out with me." He patted Andros on the shoulder. "Believe me though, it really is worth it in the end."   
  


"I hope you're right Carlos," replied Andros, "I hope you're right."   
  


~ * ~ * ~ * ~   
  


They were a perfectly matched set. Male and female humans. Red and Yellow Astro Rangers. After a little fiddling, even their looks were similar. They both now had long black hair, slicked away from their pale faces. Ebony eyes gazed out unseeing, but shone with a hidden intelligence. Both were clothed in their respective Ranger colors. He was wearing an all leather outfit, consisting of a red vest, tight black pants and black boots. She was garbed in a body forming black halter top with spaghetti straps, mustard-colored hip huggers and shiny black boots.   
  


Cyndra smiled as she looked at them through her brilliant sapphire eyes. She herself was lounged on the makeshift throne she had the Quantrons construct on the bridge of the Dark Fortress. She was dressed in one of her favorite black spider-silk dresses that blended in perfectly with the ebony of the throne. Her golden hair had been carefully cultivated into delicate waves which now hung over her shoulder, creating a bright contrast between her hair and the dress. A black rose, held between two perfectly manicured fingers, trailed gently along her body.   
  


In one swift move, she vanished away the black rose, calling in five colored computer cards to her hand. With a smile, she ran a finger delicately over the edge, chuckling in delight at the power she could feel beneath the cool metal. From the moment that Cyndra had laid her eyes upon the Psycho Cards, she had known that they would become a valuable tool in destroying the Power Rangers.   
  


With the Psycho Cards, not only would she be giving her Rangers the knowledge of the Astro Rangers' battle techniques, her control over them would become absolute. Astronema's control over the Red Ranger had just been through the morpher she had given him when he had first been captured. That way had been inefficient, and ultimately ineffective, as events had proved. Cyndra's control was through the actual person as she twisted their minds to her own purpose. With the spell that she had placed upon the Psycho Cards, they would augment the mind control and the Psycho Rangers would know only one master: her.   
  


During the past month, she had been making random attacks all over Angel Grove and its surrounding areas. From the records of those battles, she had begun to identify each of the Ranger's personal fighting styles. From there, those fighting styles were being imputed into the Psycho Cards. There would be only five Rangers to deal with now, since the Blue Ranger had been knocked out of commission. Five Astro Rangers versus her five Psycho Rangers. Perfect. It would only be a matter of time before she had all the information necessary to finish off her plan.   
  


_Then I'll finally be able to eliminate the Astro Rangers. And with them gone, taking over this putrid little planet will be very easy. Once I've accomplished that, Dark Specter will surely see how right I am to become the heir to his empire._   
  


Her eyes looked upon her Rangers once more. They stood as still as statues, awaiting her next command. She supposed that she could have given them a little more independence, but why bother? With them like this, she was able to make sure that they would do exactly as she commanded. It would only be in battle when they would gain some autonomy. Though, even like this, at their current fighting level, they were more useful than Quantrons.   
  


_Unlike some soldiers I know._ Her focused shifted to Ecliptor, who had ended up in the storage rooms where Quantrons were stored when not in use. Stripped of his memories and independence, he was little better than one of the metallic warriors now. Anytime Cyndra had tried to give him some sort of freedom, his loyalty had automatically shifted to Astronema and she couldn't understand why.   
  


The thought of the traitor brought Cyndra's attention to a current problem: Astronema was still alive down on Earth. In her haste to get rid of her rival, Cyndra had inadvertently sent Astronema to Angel Grove with all of her magic intact. She had thought at first that the Rangers would take care of the problem for her, but soon remembered that the Rangers had a ridiculous code of honor that wouldn't allow them to destroy Astronema.   
  


_Well, it's a problem I intend to rectify immediately as soon as I can find the little bitch._   
  


Somehow, Astronema had managed to vanish off of Cyndra's radar. Whether it had been by magic or just plain luck, at the moment Cyndra had no idea, because she had no way of tracking down her adversary. And she knew that Astronema hadn't been sitting by idly. While Cyndra had been making her random attacks on Angel Grove, she could tell that the Rangers had been getting some extra help. It hadn't take her long to realize just who was behind the help.   
  


But it was of no matter now. Cyndra was almost finished. Soon enough, she would have five Psycho Rangers at her command, ready to destroy the Power Rangers, Astronema, and anyone else who dared to get in her way.   
  


~ * ~ * ~ * ~   
  


Marie eyed the concoction that had been placed in front of her. Billy had called it 'ice cream'. It wasn't the first new thing he had introduced to her. Over the past few months, she had tried a variety of Earth foods, finding quite a few that were similar to Kerovian dishes. With some trepidation, she scooped up a little of the ice cream into her spoon. She let her lips slide over the cool, creamy confection, marveling at the taste on her tongue.   
  


"Well?" asked Billy, watching her from across the table. They were both at one a local ice cream parlor that was near Angel Grove beach, treating themselves after a long bout of training on the Simudeck.   
  


Her eyes widened in surprise. Smiling, she said, "This is good! I've never actually tasted anything like this before."   
  


Billy laughed, "Well, I was hoping you hadn't."   
  


Marie chuckled as she put another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth. It was good to hear Billy laughing. It was a sound that hadn't been heard among the Rangers for awhile now.   
  


"So, how are things between Cassie and Andros?" asked Billy, breaking the silence between them.   
  


Marie sighed, "About the same as ever. Andros has tried talking to Cassie, but she won't go anywhere near him. I've tried talking to her, but that hasn't accomplished anything. She just keeps feeling guilty over what's happened to TJ."   
  


"Seems everyone is unlucky in love lately," murmured Billy with a frown.   
  


"Huh?" asked Marie, looking at him curiously, "What do you mean?"   
  


"Oh, nothing," replied Billy, twirling his spoon around in his ice cream, "A couple of friends of mine have broken up over the past few months. I don't know if it was inevitable, but still.... it's disappointing all the same. Sometimes it makes you wonder if it's all worthwhile."   
  


"Of course it is!" Marie was surprised that Billy would even think otherwise. "Love is one of the strongest things in the universe! And if a relationship fails, it only means that a better one is along the way." She caught Billy's surprised look and smiled sheepishly. "Odd of me to be saying that, huh?"   
  


Billy shrugged, "Well, considering what you've been through......" He shrugged.   
  


Marie bit her lip, "I.... I don't think that I ever really gave up on love, not really. I was just blinded by vengeance for a long while, wanting only to make Dark Specter pay for what he had done to my family, friends and world. Everything else just got shoved into the background. It was more like I hadn't anyone to love. But, now that I have you.... guys with me, I can appreciate loving again."   
  


Billy lay his hand on hers, "I'm glad that you can."   
  


A flush of red colored her cheeks. "Thanks." She looked down at their joined hands, watching as his thumb traced light circles over her skin. It was these small contacts with Billy that she was enjoying lately: the brush of their skin against one another, their hands almost touching, but never quite and now, this.   
  


_Yes, I can definitely appreciate loving again._   
  


~ * ~ * ~ * ~   
  


"Your drink, as ordered Mistress."   
  


With slim fingers, she picked up the crystal glass from the tray in the waiter's outstretched hand. She took a small sip, letting the flavor of the drink roll around on her tongue. Satisfied, she ordered the human away, shutting the door behind him with a wave of her hand.   
  


_Well Astronema, you certainly know how to turn things around for the better, don't you?_ The thought brought a smile to the Princess of Evil's face. Yes, she was doing well for herself, despite all odds, wasn't she? Here she was, living in the lap of luxury with humans waiting on her hand and foot, and it had only cost her a small of amount of magic to boot!   
  


She had been living here for almost a month now. After Cyndra had thrown her out of the Dark Fortress, Astronema knew that she would have to find a way to survive long enough to get her revenge on Dark Specter's granddaughter. It hadn't taken her long to find something in which the Earthers called a 'hotel'. She had seen other places like it on other worlds, so it hadn't been completely unfamiliar to her. With a little magic and mind control, she had made her way to the best room in the hotel. The penthouse suite, she thought it was called.   
  


It was a situation perfectly suitable for her. All she had to do was keep a few people convinced that she was a paying guest, and no one else would be bothering her. A little techno-magery, something she usually didn't excel at, created a shield from scanners and magic so that she would be protected from all her enemies.   
  


Once her own protections had been in place, she had begun her revenge on Cyndra. At the moment, all that she had accomplished was some sabotage of the monster attacks on Angel Grove. A little energy blast here, a few traps there, and the scales easily tipped to the Rangers' side of the fight.   
  


The only thing that concerned her though, was the complete lack of focus in the attacks. They were all over the place. Astronema knew that Cyndra was an insane bitch, but even these attacks went beyond logical thought of any kind. Astronema knew that could only mean one thing: that these attacks were leading up to something big. How big, she wished she knew. Hopefully, it wouldn't be out of her scope to sabotage it.   
  


_And after I've finished with Cyndra, then what?_   
  


It wasn't the first time Astronema had asked herself that question, not since Cyndra had opened up her mind to her past. _I could almost thank her for that._ Astronema still felt that her identity was uncertain, at least, the one of the person she was supposed to have been: Karone. Just who was that? Some little girl who had been taken away before she could become truly anyone. So, where did that leave her?   
  


_I'm not Karone. At least, not the little-girl Karone. But, I'm the Princess Astronema either. Hell, am I even human anymore? I don't know, I suppose that just means I'm just me now. Plain old Astronema. I've got no one to look out for but myself._   
  


Her fingers touched the locket around her neck.   
  


_But what about this.... Andros, my brother? Is he even still alive? Something is telling me, yes, that he is. Do I want to find him though? Would he even be looking for me? Would he want to know me after knowing who and what I am?_   
  


But those weren't questions Astronema wanted answered now. No, all she needed to do now was focus on the systematic destruction of Cyndra. She raised her glass in a mocking toast to her enemy. "Look out Cyndra, because Astronema is ready to take you out."   
  


~ * ~ * ~ * ~   
  


On the bridge of the Astro Megaship, a girl in a pink shipboard uniform sat in front of a console with a brooding expression. Her head was propped up by her two hands with her entire body slouched forward. Her eyes gazed at the screen in front her but never really looking at what came up.   
  


Sometimes Cassie wished that she had never come to Angel Grove. She already had had enough problems with her family without having to add being a Ranger to her list. _With my parents being gone six days a week and me growing up with babysitters, is it any wonder that I have problems? No, not coming to Angel Grove wouldn't have helped. If I had gone somewhere else, I probably would have managed to complicate things elsewhere too._   
  


_And if I hadn't come to Angel Grove, I would never have met Andros._ Cassie sighed, realizing immediately where her thoughts were going. This was the same cycle of moping she had been indulging in for the past month, ever since TJ had been put into the Medical Bay. _If I keep this up much longer I'm going to start crying... again._   
  


Cassie knew that she had shed enough tears this past month. She had been causing herself too much pain by avoiding Andros. _It's just that, I still feel so damned guilty about what happened to TJ!! _   
  


But, should she be feeling guilty? It was a question that had come up recently in a talk with Marie. 

***Flashback***   
  


"You know that you can't control who you love. You told me as much yourself," Marie was saying. Cassie and her were walking through the one of Angel Grove's many malls that day, hoping that a little shopping would help to cheer them up. "So why do you feel like you had a hand in how TJ feels for you? It's not like you led him on or anything. And, I think he knew how you felt about him, otherwise, I think he would have said something much sooner."   
  


"Then why is this happening now?!?" demanded Cassie, crossing her arms in frustration. "If he could have spoken up sooner, why didn't he?"   
  


"You're right," agreed Marie, "It does seem strange. From what I know of TJ, this isn't at all like him."   
  


"Maybe it's because Andros and I are finally together," whispered Cassie, her eyes dropping to the floor, "And that, has somehow just totally done something to him. And if that is the case, then I am responsible for what has happened to him."   
  


"Cassie, you've got to stop blaming yourself for this!" Marie took the Pink Ranger's hand, "What has happened to TJ is _not_ your fault. You have got to believe that."   
  


***End Flashback***   
  


_Is Marie right? Do I really have no reason to be feeling guilty about this? But, I can't help thinking that maybe if I had done something differently, then TJ wouldn't be lying restrained in the Medical Bay right now. I wish I knew just what the answer to all this was. If only there was some way to make everyone happy...._   
  


A sharp beeping broke into Cassie's thoughts. Startled, she looked at her console. It indicated that there was a message coming in. Immediately she brought the information about the message onto the screen. Her eyes went wide as she read just where the message had come from. _I don't believe it...._ The origin of the message was the Dark Fortress.   
  


Automatically, Cassie's fingers pressed the 'play' button. The screen went dark for a few moments before a face was shown. It was of a beautiful woman, with striking sapphire eyes and long blonde hair. Her ruby lips formed a cruel smirk as she stared towards the camera.   
  


"Hello Astro Rangers," her melodic voice purred. "By now, you must know who I am. But, if you don't, I'll oblige you with an introduction." A black rose materialized in her hand. "I am Lady Cyndra, High Mage of E.V.I.L., and granddaughter of Dark Specter. I have taken over the Dark Fortress and am now the commander of everything and everyone inside. Astronema is no more."   
  


Cassie gasped, wondering how this woman had managed to destroy one of their enemies, and why.   
  


"Over the past month, you'll have noticed that I have been making random attacks all over Angel Grove and its surrounding cities," continued Cyndra, trailing the rose along her collarbone. "While I admit it has been an amusing diversion, it hasn't helped that you keep destroying my minions. Frankly, I don't need to be losing anymore of my resources."   
  


Cyndra stepped away from view, revealing the Red and Yellow Rangers behind her, fully morphed. "You want these two. I want the Earth," Cyndra's voice came from somewhere off-screen, "Thus, I propose a final battle. Whoever wins, gets their prize. Of course, one of us will most likely be destroyed by the time everything is over anyway."   
  


The mage laughed as she stepped back into view, "I am giving you one chance, and one chance only to end all this endless fighting. I do suggest that you take me up on my offer. Otherwise...." Cyndra left the threat dangling. "I expect to hear from you within one hour." With those parting words, the screen became blank.   
  


Cassie knew immediately what she had to do. Pressing the 'all call' button on her communicator, she said, "Guys, get to the bridge now! There's something that you have got to see!!"   
  


~ * ~ * ~ * ~   
  


"One final battle," mused Cyndra as she sent off her message, "One final battle is all that it will take to collect enough information on them to finally set my Psycho Rangers free! Then, yes then will it be the final days for the Power Rangers."   
  


She looked at her two Rangers standing side by side. She had had them remove their helmets after the message had been sent. Their lifeless black eyes stared out, matching the rather dull-witted expression that was on their faces. Cyndra trailed a finger down Ashley's face as she considered the thought.   
  


"Hmmm, I suppose I will have to do something about that," she said, "Not that the Rangers will be able to see you under those helmets.... But I really don't like the idea of having my soldiers as stupid as stone." She waved to the Quantrons, "I already have enough of that as is."   
  


Cyndra made a small gesture in front of her Rangers' faces. There was a flash of black light, followed by the sound of a small explosion. When it was over with, the dullness within the Rangers' black eyes had gone. The two of them looked at their Mistress intelligently and she could see a hunger for battle within those eyes that didn't bode well for her enemies.   
  


She smiled, "Soon enough will you get to appease that hunger my Rangers. Soon enough."   
  


~ * ~ * ~ * ~   
  


"There's no way that we're agreeing to this," Marie said vehemently, as she paced up and down along the floor of the bridge, "It's a trap!"   
  


The other Astro Rangers had just finished watching the message from Cyndra. With forty-five minutes left, they were now discussing what to do about Cyndra's offer.   
  


"Maybe, maybe not," said Carlos with a frown. He was leaning against the middle section of consoles. "Who knows? Cyndra could actually want this."   
  


"Yeah right!" scoffed Marie, coming to a halt, "Like the granddaughter of Dark Specter would really be that honorable! I wouldn't believe one word that came out of her mouth!"   
  


"But, we've got to take the opportunity if it comes, don't we?" asked Cassie from her seat by the console.   
  


Andros ran a hand through his striped hair. "Cassie's right. This isn't an opportunity that we can pass up lightly."   
  


"But that's why Cyndra made the offer in the first place!" exclaimed Marie, her green eyes blazing, "This is too damned good an offer! She knows that we wouldn't be able to turn it down easily." She sat down in a chair with an audible thump. Her eyes fixed on each one of the Rangers', "It's a trap and we all know it."   
  


Billy's hands came down upon her shoulders. "And because we know it is a trap, we can be prepared." His voice was soft, but it carried to everyone in the room.   
  


"I wish TJ was here," Carlos muttered under his breath.   
  


Even knowing that he hadn't meant to be heard, Carlos' words cut through to Cassie's heart. With a muffled sob, she pressed a hand to her lips. Andros came beside her, enfolding her into his embrace. With a stern look at Carlos, he said, "But he isn't, so we'll have to make do without him." His eyes then fell on Marie. "You know what we have to do, don't you?"   
  


Marie lay one of her hands on Billy's and nodded. "Yeah, I do," she replied with a sigh of resignation.   
  


Carlos, looking slightly ashamed, nodded his head. "Alright, so are we all agreed then? We will meet with Cyndra's troops for a final battle?" He received a nod from each of the Rangers. "Okay, so then let's contact Dark Specter's granddaughter."   
  


~ * ~ * ~ * ~   
  


The Rangers teleported to the battle sight first, only to find themselves alone. It had been agreed that the location of the fight would be on the outskirts of town, in the desert region where nothing could be hurt except the sand and rocks. Each of the Rangers searched with their scanners for any signs of life, only to find none.   
  


"I don't like this," said Marie as she looked around, "Where is she?"   
  


The question was answered by an energy blast that landed a few feet away from the Rangers. They all turned to see Cyndra standing atop a small rise above them. Instead of her black dress, she had dressed in shiny black armor. Beside her were the Red and Yellow Rangers. Behind the three of them stood a monster and a small army of Quantrons.   
  


"Were you looking for me Gold Ranger?" laughed Cyndra, "Well, here I am!"   
  


"Well why don't you come down here so that you can get a proper introduction from my Solar Sais?" hissed Marie, holding out her weapons.   
  


Cyndra laughed again. "Oh, I don't think so Ranger." She pointed her finger towards the Rangers and turned towards her soldiers. "Go." At her command, the Quantrons surged forward, their Q-blades at the ready. The sound of clashing metal soon sounded in the air as the Rangers battled against the foot soldiers.   
  


"Yes, perfect!" murmured Cyndra. She snapped her fingers, materializing a floating recorder. "Start recording," she commanded. The machine obliged, floating above the battle, recording all of the fighting.   
  


"Mistress, when will we get a chance at them?" asked the Red Ranger, obviously itching to do some fighting. He kept shifting his weight back and forth, his Spiral Saber glinting in the sunlight.   
  


"Yes Lady, when will we get to have our fun?" asked Katiss, the monster Cyndra had commissioned.   
  


"Soon," answered Cyndra with a small chuckle, "Don't be so impatient."   
  


The Red Ranger grunted an unintelligible answer.   
  


Hidden nearby, a pair of blue eyes watched the battle while she awaited her chance to join in. Her eyes narrowed when she didn't see one particular soldier. Her hand pounded against the sand in frustration. "Dammit!" she muttered, "She didn't bring him along!"   
  


Out here in the desert was the last place Astronema had expected a battle today. It didn't matter now though. A fight was a fight and Astronema wasn't about to be left out, especially when this particular fight had Cyndra in it. Even without the chance to regain Ecliptor, it wouldn't hurt for her to have a little fun, now would it? With a small smile, Astronema continued to watch the battle, waiting for her chance to strike.   
  


Meanwhile, Carlos struck his Lunar Lance in a circle around him, knocking out all the Quantrons that were in his way. A few more well placed kicks and punches soon created a path amongst the foot soldiers leading him directly towards Cyndra. The villainess only looked amused as she watched her robotic minions fall at the Rangers' feet.   
  


As Carlos continued to make his way towards Cyndra, she suddenly struck out her hand. Before he could blink, a ball of blue magefire appeared in her hand. With a single word, Cyndra shot it directly at Carlos. It caught the Black Ranger in the chest, sending him flying through the air. He crashed into the sand, raising up a cloud of dust.   
  


Some nearby Quantrons immediately took advantage of this and made their way towards Carlos. But the Black Ranger easily saw them coming. He somersaulted away from the Quantrons, landing on his feet. With his blaster, he knocked them out of his way.   
  


Nearby, Cassie was holding her own against the Quantrons. "Satellite Stunner, Booster Mode!" she shouted, joining her pink weapon to her blaster. Wielding it in an arc in front of her, the Pink Ranger soon had the Quantrons cowering away in fear.   
  


Suddenly, she was hit from behind. Cassie found herself on the ground with the wind knocked out of her and the Stunner too far away to reach. She looked up to see a Quantron standing over her, its Q-blade at the ready. As the blade came down, it was suddenly blocked by a red sword. A strong kick was delivered by a foot encased in black boots. The blow sent the Quantron staggering away.   
  


"Are you alright?" asked a very worried Andros. He held out his hand to her.   
  


Blushing under her helmet, she nodded and took his hand. "Yes, thank you Andros."   
  


Billy's Super Silverizer was being put to good use as he plowed through a set of Quantrons with practiced ease. He looked over his shoulder to see Marie doing the same with her Solar Sais. She was making short work of each of the Quantrons that she could get her hands on.   
  


"Billy, behind you!" someone shouted. Immediately, he turned around, stopping a Q-blade just inches from his head with his Super Silverizer.   
  


"Now, that's not nice!" he grunted, throwing the Quantron off of him with a quick kick to its chest. Billy followed up with a strike to the neck, taking off the metal soldier's head.   
  


Just as the number of Quantrons began to dwindle, Cyndra unleashed her monster, Katiss, upon the Rangers. Katiss was unlike anything that any of the Rangers had seen before. It looked like a strange mix of snake and cat. The head and torso were mostly reptilian, but the arms, legs and tail were covered with feline fur.   
  


"Didn't we face against a snake thing a few months ago?" asked Cassie as she dodged a blow from a swiping claw.   
  


"Yeah, but that one didn't have fur," Marie replied, managing to land a kick on the thing's tail and being rewarded with a deafening howl.   
  


"Battle Blade!" shouted Carlos, leaping up. His right arm began to glow with blue energy. With a swiping motion, his arm came down upon Katiss' chest, throwing back a few feet.   
  


"Why didn't you send us?" demanded Ashley.   
  


"Because I wanted Katiss to soften the Rangers up a bit first," answered Cyndra.   
  


"We do not need some monster to soften them up for us!" hissed the Red Ranger, "We can take them down easily without that thing's help!"   
  


"I know you can, but not with your current powers," said Cyndra soothingly, "Do remember, this is all going to be recorded for my plan. Katiss is expendable, you are not." She continued to watch as the Rangers soon had the advantage over Katiss. Cyndra knew that her monster would soon be destroyed. "Very well my Rangers, now you may go."   
  


That was all Ashley and the Red Ranger needed as they shot down towards the battle. Unleashing the Star Slinger and Spiral Saber respectively, they quickly began randomly attacking the Rangers. But it wasn't long before they began focusing on one particular Ranger each. Ashley concentrated her attacks on Carlos while Marie was being used as target practice for the Red Ranger. This left Cassie, Andros and Billy against Katiss.   
  


A sudden blast of purple energy emerged, hitting Katiss squarely in the chest. The monster went down unceremoniously, much to the surprise of everyone else around it. For a moment, everything stopped and all was silent.   
  


"What was that?" Cassie's voice broke through the silence.   
  


Cyndra's eyes narrowed, "I'd know that energy blast anywhere." She raised her voice, "Astronema! Come out, come out, wherever you are!! There's no use hiding. I know that you're here."   
  


Astronema left her covering to face Cyndra, her glowing Wrath Staff in her hands. She was dressed in her usual attire of silver and black armor, heavy makeup and green colored hair. Her eyes gazed upon the Quantrons, the Red and Yellow Rangers and Katiss before making their way to Cyndra. "I never thought you'd come down to do your own dirty work Cyndra."   
  


"And miss the chance to finally destroy you, Karone?" retorted Cyndra, her hands on her hips. "I never thought you'd be fool enough to attack me. Are all the people from your planet really this stupid?"   
  


Andros' head whipped around to look at Astronema. He could feel Marie' confusion and shock, echoing his own. _*What is going on?*_ His thought went directly to the Gold Ranger. _*Did Cyndra really just call her... Karone?*_   
  


_*You and I both heard it,*_ Marie answered, _*Is it really her?*_   
  


_*I.... I don't know,* _Andros said, his eyes still gazing at Astronema,_ *I just don't know.*_   
  


"Why don't we find out?" Astronema challenged.   
  


With her Wrath Staff, she sent out an energy blast of purple in a wide arc. Cyndra immediately countered with a ball of blue magefire. The two blasts ricocheted off one another with a huge explosion. Everyone was knocked down, but Cyndra was soon back on her feet.   
  


The mage quickly sent out another ball of fire at Astronema. This one was knocked out of the way by Astronema's staff towards Katiss. The monster didn't have time to do anything before the magefire engulfed it. The power proved to be too much for it and it was immediately incinerated. Billy, Andros and Cassie looked on in shock as the monster was turned into dust.   
  


"Argh!" screamed Cyndra, potent fury in her eyes.   
  


Astronema laughed. "Guess they don't make monsters the way they used to, huh Cyndra?"   
  


"I've had enough of this!" growled Cyndra. With a wave of her hand, she vanished.   
  


Ashley and the Red Ranger looked at the spot where their Mistress had vanished before looking back at the Astro Rangers. Ashley tilted her head, "Well Rangers, shall we continue where we left off?"   
  


Carlos and Cassie stepped forward, ready to do battle again to try and reclaim their lost friend. Billy followed them, knowing the pain one experienced when faced with an adversary who was a friend. Andros and Marie stayed behind, not knowing what to do. They realized that they had to support their teammates in trying to help Ashley, but what about Astronema? Were they just going to let the key to Andros' search just vanish?   
  


_*Go to her,*_ Marie's voice was suddenly in Andros' mind.   
  


_*What?*_ he asked, shocked at the suggestion.   
  


*_We can take care of Ashley and the Red Ranger. I can explain things to the others.*_ Marie replied, _*You need to talk to Astronema.*_   
  


He put his hand on her shoulder and nodded. _*Thank you.* _It was all that needed to be said before he ran up to the former Princess of Evil.   
  


She backed away as he approached, the tip of her Wrath Staff pointed directly at him. "Stay away from me!" she snarled.   
  


Andros held up his hands in defense. "I just want to talk, that's all." He tried to keep his voice calm. "I want to know, was Cyndra telling the truth when she called you Karone?"   
  


The tip of the staff lowered a bit. Astronema's eyes showed her puzzlement. "Yes," she answered slowly, "I was once known as Karone."   
  


He could feel the excitement building up inside of him. "From KO-35?"   
  


She looked at him in shock, "What?"   
  


"KO-35," he repeated, desperate to get her answer, "Are you from the planet KO-35?"   
  


"T..That's what I was told," she replied, looking at him strangely, "I was a child there, before.... before....."   
  


"Before you were captured and taken away from your family," he said softly, stepping slowly towards her.   
  


This time, Astronema didn't back away. "What? How...how did you know that?"   
  


In answer, Andros demorphed. Astronema's eyes widened as she looked upon his striped hair. Her mouth opened and closed for a few moments before her voice worked again. "That hair....." She looked him in the eyes, "Who are you?"   
  


"My name is Andros."   
  


The blood drained from Astronema's face. "Andros?" she whispered. Her fingers immediately flew to the locket around her neck. "Andros?" she repeated. She opened the silver locket, looking at the two pictures that were inside.   
  


Noticing what she did, Andros pulled out his own locket and opened it, revealing his own two pictures, identical to hers. Tears in his eyes, he whispered, "It really is you!!"   
  


Before she could respond, there was a sudden explosion that knocked them off of their feet. In unison, they turned to see that _something_ had happened in the Astros' battle against Ashley and the Red Ranger. The Yellow Ranger had been thrown up into the air, landing a few feet away, barely conscious. The Astros themselves hadn't fared much better, each with their uniforms singed and smoking.   
  


But it was the Red Ranger who apparently took the worst of the explosion. Andros saw him land on the ground hard enough that he was forcibly demorphed. Andros was shocked for the second time that day as the Red Ranger raised himself to his feet. It didn't take more than a fleeting glance for Andros to recognize the face, even with the black hair and eyes.   
  


_*Oh Gods!!* _Marie's mind voice was like a shout in his head, before dying down to a whisper. _*I can't believe it....*_   
  


The Red Ranger was someone that they both recognized all too well. It was someone that both had thought to be dead for almost four years ago. He had been the laughing personality of the Kerovian Rangers and Andros' best friend.   
  


The Red Ranger was none other than the former Kerovian Silver Ranger, Zhane. 


	7. Connections of Memories

Author's Notes: Power Rangers don't belong to me. The characters of Marie Fox and Cyndra belong to Greeneyes. If you want to use them, ask permission from her: pikarangerbsb@hotmail.com.   
  


Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far. I do apologize for the slow updating. But things like writer's block and real life aren't easy to overcome. ^_^ So now on with the show!   
  


Connections of Memories 

By: Jade Daniels   
  


It was something that was almost impossible to believe. Marie had certainly never considered the fact that it could happen. After all, how many people did she know that had come back from the dead? First, it had been Andros, returning as the Ruby Ranger of Ithta. Now, it was Zhane, the former Silver Kerovian Ranger, now back as the Red Ranger. Marie, Gold Astro Ranger, formerly of Kerova, now of Earth, was beginning to wonder if she should expect any more people to come back to life.   
  


The Rangers had escaped the last battle alive, but only because the Red Ranger, now revealed to everyone to be Zhane, and Ashley had left before they could do anymore damage. Now, days later, the two Kerovians were still reeling in the shock of the news. Andros was taking it the hardest of them both.   
  


"Why did it have to be him?" asked Andros, as he paced around Marie's bedroom. The anguish on his face was plain for the Gold Ranger to see. And though she hated to see Andros like this, she could understand his feelings all too well.   
  


It should have been good news, some of the best news that Marie had received in a long time, now knowing that two of her former teammates were alive. But it wasn't good news, not as long as she knew that Zhane was under the control of Dark Specter's granddaughter, Cyndra.   
  


"I don't know why it had to be him," Marie answered Andros' question, "But it was the same thing that I thought when I believed that you were the Red Ranger. I was so determined to get you back and yet at the same time, I couldn't believe that it was you."   
  


"It's just so hard to even think that it's him," Andros whispered, his voice so low that Marie barely heard him. "How can it be him?"   
  


"I know it's hard to believe Andros, but we've got to face the facts that Zhane is the Red Ranger," Marie said. She stepped up beside her friend, "Not all the wishing the in the world will change that! But you've also got to believe that we will get him back!"   
  


Andros sighed and shook his head. Sitting down heavily on her bed, he looked up at her. "I wish I had your confidence Marie. But I could feel his emotions. He was so full of hatred and darkness. I couldn't feel any part of him in there. I.... I don't know if we can get him back. And even if we do.... will he still be one of us?"   
  


Marie sat down beside him. Using both her hands, she turned his head so that his eyes looked into hers. "We will get him back whole. I refuse to think otherwise. And as long he's living, there is still hope. We've both lost enough people already. I'm not about to lose anyone else."   
  


He covered her hands with his own, pulling them down onto his lap. A faint smile appeared on his face. "You always were the confident one. I believe you. We will get him back, won't we?"   
  


It wasn't the answer that Marie was hoping for, but she knew that it would have to do for now. "Yeah, we will." She looked at him again, as she could sense something else troubling him. Immediately, she realized what, or rather, who, it was. "Now, do you want to talk about Karone?"   
  


Andros sighed, standing up once more. "Never could put anything past you, could I?" He shook his head, "I never thought that it would be this frustrating. Finding her was one thing, but getting her to realize her past, who she really is, is another. It used to be that I could sense her every emotion and automatically know what she was thinking. Now all I can feel is this large wall between us."   
  


"She isn't the four year old girl that you once knew," Marie pointed out, carefully avoiding what she wanted to say. She knew that Astronema wasn't Karone, at least, not the same one that Andros remembered. Dark Specter's magic had deeply penetrated the girl, and Marie wasn't sure if it could ever be all taken away. "Remember, she's spent a lot of time under Dark Specter's influence. That kind of thing isn't going to go away within a few days."   
  


"I know, I know," Andros replied, the frustration still clear in his voice. "I can see her trying to break away from Dark Specter's control and she has managed to do that a little bit. She's her own self now, in a way. But, I can't see her as Karone anymore. In fact, she's been insisting that I refer to her as Astronema."   
  


Marie winced, knowing how much Andros really wanted to make things work between him and his sister. She felt like mentioning something about Cassie, but decided not to, not with everything else that was currently happening. "So it hasn't been going any better than that?"   
  


Andros shook his head. "No, not really. I took her to her quarters and gave her a ship uniform. But I don't think it's something that she'll wear."   
  


Marie chuckled, pointing to what Andros himself was wearing. "Well, it's not like you're wearing one either."   
  


Andros looked down at his own outfit, one reminiscent of Kerovian styles. His red shirt was of a loose cut with a large v-neck opening. It was belted at the waist, so that the end hung over his dark velvet brown pants. His feet were covered with ankle high brown boots. At first, he had thought of dressing like the other Astro Rangers complete with uniform. But he had begun to realize that he really wasn't an Astro Ranger anymore, so he had decided that wearing something different would be better.   
  


He nodded, "That's true. But that was about as far I got with her. We didn't get much further from there."   
  


"Did...." Marie started, not sure if this was the thing to ask, "Did you tell her about the Amethyst morpher?"   
  


Andros shook his head, "No, I didn't tell her. I'm... I'm not sure if I should anymore. Now that I know who she was, what she did.... Can I, in good conscience, let her become a Ranger?"   
  


"That is something that only you can decide," Marie answered after a pause. "You were the one who was given the Amethyst. But you also said it yourself, that you knew that it was for her."   
  


"I know," Andros replied, "But like I also said, I don't know her anymore. How can I.... trust her to do what she has to do to be a Ranger?"   
  


"I don't know, but that's why you have to talk to her," Marie said, standing up beside Andros. She had her own reasons for wanting to talk to Astronema, but didn't want to voice them aloud to Andros. Especially not in his current state.   
  


He looked worried, "Do you think we should?"   
  


"Well, we've got to start somewhere, don't we?"   
  


~ * ~ * ~ * ~   
  


It hadn't been that long ago when Cassie Chan had thought that she had found the love of her life. Things had been going well between her and Andros, without too many troubles. But ever since TJ had professed his love for her, everything had just suddenly gone horribly wrong. And now, things had somehow gone from bad to worse.   
  


With the discovery of Zhane and Karone, Cassie realized that there was a side to Andros that she had never known about. These were two people that had been a big part of his life and he hadn't ever mentioned one word about them. Never mind the fact that Marie hadn't told any of them about them either, but she thought that Andros should have trusted her enough to tell her. It was almost as if he hadn't wanted her to know.   
  


Her earlier shopping trip had helped the Pink Ranger to sort out a few things, especially since she had ran into an old friend. Katherine Hilliard, along with two other former Rangers, Aisha Campbell and Trini Kwan had been at the shopping mall, looking for things for Trini's upcoming wedding. That was something that in some ways, amazed Cassie. Here were three former Rangers, all knowing of what was to come through updates by Billy, yet they still managed to live out their lives, even to the point of getting ready for an upcoming celebration.   
  


But, Cassie had gotten some good advice from the three former Rangers, but she didn't think any of it could help with her situation. As she had told Kat, Cassie knew that it wasn't really Andros' fault for the way things were. She had started it by avoiding him in the first place. But she had been getting over her guilt about TJ and had been prepared to talk to the Ruby Ranger. But that was before. Now, all she could think about was that maybe she was driving Andros away.   
  


She didn't want to think that to be true, but what other conclusion could she come up with? Andros hadn't wanted her to know about so many important things regarding his life. It had been tough to get him to open up about anything. She had always felt, in some ways, isolated from the man that she loved. At first, she had felt that it was a ridiculous thought, but now, she wasn't so sure.   
  


~ * ~ * ~ * ~   
  


Cyndra growled as she looked at the damaged piece of machinery in her hand. It had been the Red Astro Morpher. Now, it was just a mess of wires. During the last battle, the morpher had been damaged beyond repair by her people. But that didn't mean it still didn't have it's uses. Her own scientists were still doing research on the morpher, as well as the Yellow one, trying to discover all they could about the Power Rangers' abilities. That information would go to Dark Specter, as a tool to be used for all of the evil beings within the Alliance.   
  


"So now it's onto the next step," she muttered to herself, vanishing the morpher away. With a flick of her hand, she produced the Psycho Cards. Another flick of her hand sent them into the computer reader. Five morphers soon appeared on the computer console.   
  


Turning on the communication system, Cyndra ordered the Red and Yellow Rangers onto the bridge. It wasn't long before the two evil Rangers appeared before their mistress. At the sight of Cyndra, they both dropped to their knees.   
  


The dark mage smiled as she looked upon her two servants. They were fine warriors, and they would become even stronger now that she had completed her own research on the Astro Rangers. With that information, her Psycho Rangers would become unstoppable. A flick of her finger brought two of the Psycho morphers to her hand. They gleamed darkly with their colors.   
  


"Stand," Cyndra ordered her two Rangers. She held the two Psycho morphers before them. "Do you know what these are?"   
  


"Those are morphers," Ashley answered immediately as she and Zhane stood up.   
  


"Good," Cyndra nodded, "More specifically, these are the Psycho morphers. They will give you two the ability to become the Psycho Rangers. You will have more power than those Astro Rangers and will thereby be able to defeat them easily. As well, the information that we have gathered over the past month has been programmed into these morphers. You will have the information immediately available to you so that you will be able to anticipate your opponents' every move. Understand?"   
  


"Yes Mistress," the two Rangers answered.   
  


"Your current morphers have been tied in with the your new Psycho ones. That should double, maybe even triple your powers," Cyndra continued, "As for the other three, they shall be used by suitable drones, ones that shall be under your command." With a thought, she sent the newly made Red and Yellow Psycho morphers to Zhane and Ashley who took them immediately.   
  


"Stand," ordered Cyndra, "And present yourselves to me as my new Psycho Rangers!"   
  


"Psycho Power!" Ashley and Zhane shouted together. Within seconds, they had transformed into their new suits. They looked nothing like any other Power Ranger suit. Instead of the usual rounded edges, these suits consisted of sharp corners, like deadly spikes ready to cut into anything. The helmet designs made the two Rangers look like demons come to life.   
  


Although she approved of the overall design, Cyndra frowned as she noticed something odd about her new Red Psycho Ranger. For a moment, during his transformation, his aura had flashed silver, red, then to a final dark red. She wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean, but knew that it would have to be looked into before it became a problem for her Psycho Ranger. The Yellow one seemed fine, so at least Cyndra wouldn't have any problems with her.   
  


"Everything seems to be in place for now," she murmured, knowing that she could deal with the problem later, "A perfect design for my new warriors. Demons that will finally vanquish the Power Rangers once and for all. Now, demorph my two Rangers, I want you to rest before this final battle begins. With everything going according to plan, nothing should be able to stand in your way."   
  


"Yes Mistress," the two Rangers replied, demorphing and leaving the room.   
  


~ * ~ * ~ * ~   
  


If anyone had told Astronema that this was how her life would turn out, she never would have believed it. Living on the same ship with Power Rangers was the last thing she ever would have expected, especially the fact that she had one for a brother. But here she was, on board the Megaship. Sometimes she wondered just what she had been thinking when she agreed to come on board.   
  


Andros, her brother, had been very insistent. She had tried to talk him into letting her go back to her own place, but for some reason, he had wanted her to stay near him. Something about being able to find her she thought. In the end, after a little arguing, she had finally allowed herself to be teleported on board the Megaship.   
  


He had given her something to wear, but it had been nowhere to her liking. Instead, she had traded it in for something else that she knew she would like wearing. With her magic, she had gone back to wearing her hair short and light blonde. For her clothing, she had decided to go for something black and leather. She was wearing a sleeveless black top, over tight black leather pants, which was over tall black leather boots. Overall, it was an outfit that was acceptable to her.   
  


She wondered what would Ecliptor think of all of this. Her former guardian had always wanted the best out of life for her. While she was growing up, Astronema had lacked nothing. Ecliptor had been very good to her, which was why she knew that she had to use this opportunity in order to get her revenge on Cyndra and maybe get Ecliptor back.   
  


Astronema's thoughts were interrupted as her door chime sounded. The door opened and she saw two Rangers, one her brother and the other, a girl with red hair. Andros and Marie. She looked at them warily, not sure what to say. Thankfully though, the conversation didn't seem like it was going to be long.   
  


"So, how are you K... Astronema?" asked Marie. The Gold Ranger looked uncomfortable at the use of that name. But Astronema wasn't about to allow anyone to call her anything else. "Is everything to your liking?" She didn't look surprised at the outfit that Astronema had chosen to wear.   
  


"It's different." She shrugged, unwilling to show any outer signs of discomfort. "I think I can get used to it though. After all, who am I to complain about anything, when I guess I owe you Rangers my life." She frowned at that; never before had she felt she owed anyone anything.   
  


"You don't owe us anything," Andros said, as if he had been reading her mind. He smiled softly, "I'm happy to have my sister back."   
  


Before Astronema could answer, she suddenly winced and grabbed her arm. Pain flared from her shoulder, part of an old injury that she had thought healed already.   
  


"Karone, what's wrong?" Andros asked, coming up to her.   
  


It was strange, but it was almost like Astronema could feel his concern and not just see it on his face. She wasn't even annoyed that he had called her Karone. "It's my shoulder," she answered, wincing again. "It was injured while I was battling against Cyndra. I thought it had been healed, but I guess not."   
  


~ * ~ * ~ * ~   
  


Immediately Marie and Andros insisted that Astronema go to the Med bay. Unable to protest, she allowed the two Rangers to lead her there. Already there were TJ, who was still restrained to a bed, as well as Billy, who looked like he was in the middle of taking some medicine. Andros and Marie settled Astronema on one of the beds beside TJ's. That done, Andros began to use one of the scanners on his sister, while Marie went up to Billy.   
  


"Hey, you alright?" the Gold Ranger asked, looking at the medication that Billy was about to take.   
  


The Silver Ranger nodded, looking a bit surprised. "I've just got a bit of a headache. Why do you ask?"   
  


Marie pointed to the medical spray in Billy's hand. "Because that's a rather large dose for a small headache." She turned to Andros, "Maybe you should use that on Billy next."   
  


"Well, I'm done with Karone here," Andros said as he walked up beside Billy. "Hold still Billy." The Ruby Ranger frowned as he looked at the results. He looked at his sister. "K....Astronema, what do you know about Ranger powers?"   
  


Astronema looked at him strangely and hopped off of the bed. "Nothing much really. Dark Specter never taught me a lot about them. All I know is that they're tied in with the Morphing Grid. That's what allows the Rangers to use the morphing powers in the first place."   
  


"Then you know nothing about how the morphers are also tied in with their with their owner's DNA?" asked Andros, "Or how they have to be cut properly?"   
  


Astronema looked surprised. She shook her head. "No. I've never heard of anything like that."   
  


"Billy, how long have you been having those headaches?" asked Andros, turning back to the Silver Ranger.   
  


"Uh, I guess for a few months now," Billy answered, pressing a hand to his forehead. "They've been getting steadily worse over the past few weeks."   
  


"Why didn't you say anything?" exclaimed Marie, dragging Billy to Astronema's recently vacated bed. The Silver Ranger went without protest, showing Marie just how badly off Billy was.   
  


Andros sighed. "Then I think I have a theory about your headaches Billy. It all has to do with the fact that you're still sharing the Silver powers with Zhane." The Gold and Silver Rangers looked at him in surprise. "Since Karone had no idea about the ties within the Powers, she wouldn't have known to sever Zhane from the Silver powers when she tied him to my old morpher. Because of that, the Silver powers are being strained, which is affecting you."   
  


"So, how do we stop it?" asked Marie, looking worriedly at Billy. By now, the Silver Ranger was lying down, with his eyes closed.   
  


"The only to stop it would be to either disconnect Zhane," Billy said softly, "Or me."   
  


Before anyone could say anything else, Astronema's voice broke through. "Hey, did you know that your friend here is under a spell?"   
  


Marie and Andros looked at Astronema in confusion. "What?" they asked in unison.   
  


"There's a spell aura around him," Astronema explained, pointing at TJ, who at the moment was unconscious. She narrowed her eyes, concentrating on identifying the particular aura. After a moment, she knew what spell plagued the Blue Ranger. "It's a Passion Fever spell. Very insidious. It takes over passions, usually those in the realms of lust and occasionally, love. The spell will multiply it and twist it around so much that the victim will become overly possessive of the object of his affections, and almost insanely jealous of whoever might come across their 'territory'. Eventually, it will leave the victim very much in the state that your friend is in."   
  


"That would explain a lot of TJ's behavior lately," Andros said grimly. He closed his eyes. "The jealous ranges...... his emotional intensity..... everything." He looked at Astronema, "So this means that all that was from him being under this Passion Fever spell?"   
  


She nodded. "Yes."   
  


Marie walked over to TJ. She placed a hand on the Blue Ranger's forehead. "Is there anything we can do to break it?"   
  


At the Gold Ranger's touch, TJ began mumbling, tossing his head back and forth. "Cassie?"   
  


Astronema took a deep breath. "There may be something that I can do. I won't be able to completely get rid of it; this is Cyndra's work and she's a much more powerful mage than I am. What I can do is subdue the spell. At least, it'll get him functioning properly again, although he may have reoccurrences from time to time." She came up beside the Gold Ranger.   
  


Marie looked over at Astronema. "Are you sure?" She looked back at TJ, "I mean, whatever you an do for him, it would be great. But only if you're sure."   
  


Astronema raised an eyebrow, as if she was surprised at Marie's doubt of her abilities. "I can do it." She held out her hands over TJ's body. She looked at Andros and Marie, "This is going to take some time."   
  


"I understand," Marie replied with a nod. "Andros and I will go." She came back to Billy. Smiling, she placed a light kiss on his forehead. "Be well."   
  


The Silver Ranger smiled as his blue eyes locked onto her green ones. "I'll try."   
  


"Come on Marie." Andros said quietly, taking her by the arm. "Ka... Astronema, contact us when you're done."   
  


"I will," she answered absently, already beginning to concentrate on the spell-bound Ranger. With that, the Ruby and Gold Rangers left, knowing that they were leaving their friends in good hands. Just as they stepped out of the Med Bay, the Megaship alarms suddenly sounded.   
  


DECA's voice came through on the speakers, "All Rangers, report to the bridge."   
  


~ * ~ * ~ * ~   
  


On the bridge of the Megaship, Carlos, the Black Astro Ranger, was monitoring the ever-present scans of the galaxy. Trying to find Zordon had long since stopped being their top priority, now that Cyndra trying to take over Earth. There were others, much better suited to the task out searching for Zordon. But, as always, as Rangers, they had to maintain a vigilant watch for the captured Morphin' Master.   
  


As Carlos looked over the scans, one particular place caught his eye, holding his view a little longer than the others. For him, it was home. But he couldn't look at it for too long. It wasn't safe, especially with the other Rangers coming in and out of the bridge at all times. It wouldn't be good to have them ask too many questions if they noticed what he was staring at. They weren't ready for the answers that he would give.   
  


He couldn't imagine telling them. What could he tell them? That he wasn't human? That would only spark off a dozen more questions that he couldn't answer. More like, he didn't want to answer. He sighed, wondering, not for the first time, why he had made the journey to Earth. He had been having an amazing time here, especially being a Ranger. It was strange that Dimitria had allowed a non-human to take on the role of an Earth defender, but she had said that he would do a good job. Carlos thought that had just been her way of keeping him here.   
  


It was hardly fair of him to think that he knew, but it was a thought that often came into his mind. Dimitria had known who and what he was the moment she had laid eyes on him. She had said as much herself. And though it had been Adam's choice to make him the Green Turbo Ranger, she could have asked for another person to take on the mantle. Why him?   
  


"Why did you let me become a Ranger Dimitria?" he whispered, "Why?"   
  


Suddenly, a small alarm sounded. Carlos noted with dismay that it was the one for Angel Grove. Immediately, he turned on the viewer, to take in the sight of Zhane and Ashley rampaging through the city. At least, Carlos thought it was them. The Rangers he was looking at were in Red and Yellow, but with entirely new suits.   
  


"Figures Cyndra wouldn't stay down for long," Carlos muttered while he sounded the alarm. He knew that he would have to set aside his problems for another time. "DECA, call in the other Rangers." Within moments, the ship computer responded to his order and it wasn't long before he heard the sound of running footsteps coming into the Megaship.   
  


"What is it Carlos?" asked Cassie, being one of the first to arrive.   
  


"This," the Black Ranger pointed grimly to the screen.   
  


Marie frowned when she saw the screen. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get down there and stop them!"   
  


"Wait," Carlos cautioned, dredging up training from long ago. With everything that had been happening lately, he had stared to take on the role of leader, "I don't any of you to go into this less than fully capable. They have new suits, which easily means new powers, ones that we may not have the resources to defend against. So, go into this with your heads, and not your emotions, alright?" He looked at both Andros and Marie. The two Kerovians glanced at each other before turning back to him and nodding.   
  


"Good," said Carlos, "Then let's go."   
  


~ * ~ * ~ * ~   
  


Four Rangers, Cassie, Carlos, Andros and Marie, teleported down to Angel Grove, only to find themselves surrounded by rubble. Destruction was everywhere. Through the smoke and fire, Ashley and Zhane stepped forward. The Rangers knew that it could only be them, despite the new suits that they wore.   
  


"How do you like the new look Rangers?" Ashley asked, amusement clear in her voice. She struck a pose, hand on one hip.   
  


"Getting a new outfit isn't going to help you Ashley! You're still outnumbered, two to one!" Cassie replied, "Why don't you just surrender now, and come home, please? Can't you remember that you're not one of Cyndra's minions, that you're really one of us?" There was a hint of desperation in her voice. The Pink Ranger had long realized that it would be next to impossible to convince Ashley, and now Zhane, with words to return, but she knew that she had to try at any given opportunity.   
  


"Please!" Ashley sneered, "Why do you always ask that? I remember what it was like being with you as a Power Ranger. I like who I am now so much better. No need to be tied up with stupid emotions like love and friendship. This is who I am now, so you better get used to it!"   
  


"Besides, we're hardly outnumbered, not with our new powers, and these...." With a snap of his fingers, Zhane summoned in three more Psycho Rangers.   
  


"Do I even want to know who could be under those helmets?" Marie asked, surprise clear in her voice. Like the rest of the Rangers, she had only been expecting to see the two Psychos, Ashley and Zhane, not with another three towed along behind them.   
  


"Rangers, I cannot read any life signs from the last three Psycho Rangers," Alpha's voice suddenly came through. "My scans indicate that they may be robots."   
  


"Well, that's one less thing to worry about," Carlos said, brandishing his Lunar Lance. "We're outnumbered here guys, so you three each take one, I've got Zhane and Ashley."   
  


"No Carlos," Andros said, "Leave Zhane to me."   
  


"Are you all through talking?" Ashley asked, amusement clear in her voice, "If you are, see if you can take on this!" With those words, she ran at them at super speed, knocking the four of them over like they were nothing more than bowling pins.   
  


"Oh, that was fun!" laughed Ashley. She turned to the Red Ranger, "Care to try?"   
  


"With pleasure," Zhane growled, grabbing two of the fallen Rangers, and tossing them through the air with all too visible ease. It was a surprise that they didn't demorph when they landed. But that was the last thing to go right for the Astro Rangers for the rest of the battle.   
  


~ * ~ * ~ * ~   
  


Everything was dark. No, not everything, not anymore. There was an increasing glow, somewhere in the distant. He knew that he only had to reach out to it and it would be within his grasp. But he couldn't reach out, something was holding him back. A true darkness, eating away at him, keeping him from doing what he had to do. But what was it that he had to do? One word came to him.   
  


Protect.   
  


Another word.   
  


Save.   
  


And another.   
  


Fight.   
  


The glow was coming to him now, he could see it rushing towards him. There was a power behind it, one unlike anything he had ever experienced before. But he knew that it was safe and that it would pull him out of the threatening darkness. All he had to do, was embrace it.   
  


"Ahh!" TJ shouted as he awoke. He found himself lying on one of the beds in the Med Bay, with a young woman standing beside him. A young woman who looked awfully familiar.   
  


"Astronema!!" he shouted, trying to move away, but he found that his hands and feet had been bound to the bed. Did that mean that he was Astronema's prisoner? "What are you doing here?"   
  


Looking a little wary herself, Astronema held up her hands. "Whoa!" she said, "You don't have to go shouting at me like that! As to why I'm here.... it'd take too much time to explain, time that your friends really don't have right now. Just know that I've pulled you out of one of Cyndra's more insidious spells."   
  


"What?" TJ asked, still very much confused.   
  


Astronema sighed and began undoing the restraints. "Look, just please believe me, okay? I'm.... I'm Andros' sister." At TJ's very surprised look, she said, "Like I said, long story. The rest of the Rangers are down in Angel Grove right now, fighting some Psycho Rangers, and from the reports I've been getting from DECA, they're losing badly. They need your help. There, you're free."   
  


TJ rubbed his wrists. He looked around the Med Bay and saw that Billy, who looked very pale was lying on a bed nearby. "What happened to Billy?"   
  


"Another long story. Power drain," Astronema answered, sounding tired. "Now will you please stopping asking me so many inane questions and go help your friends? After the job I did on you, I'm no good to them. Maybe in about an hour, but...."   
  


"Yeah, I heard, that's time they don't have." TJ nodded as he hopped off of the bed. He turned back to Astronema, still not entirely sure if he was about to do the right thing. "Even if none of this is true, thanks."   
  


She smiled, nodded and waved him off.   
  


~ * ~ * ~ * ~   
  


Astronema hadn't been lying. That much TJ could see when he teleported down to the battle site. All around him were ruins, broken walls and rubble where a street should have been. Thank goodness this was one of the many vacated warehouse districts that Angel Grove seemed to have. The Rangers themselves were in no better condition, barely holding their own against the Psycho Rangers.   
  


TJ knew that no one was expecting anyone else to show, especially not him. That meant that he would have the element of surprise. So, how was he going to use it to his advantage? From what little he could see, the Psychos had the superior speed and strength, as well as some strange way of disappearing and reappearing through the ground.   
  


Suddenly, he got an idea, one that had the best chance of working, if could he could get all the Psychos together. He tapped his communicator, "Alpha, this is TJ."   
  


"TJ! Oh, it is good to hear your voice!" the robot burbled.   
  


"Thanks Alpha," smiled TJ, but knowing that now was not the time for pleasantries, "Look, the others are in trouble. Do you think you can tell them for me to get all five of the Psycho Rangers together?"   
  


"No problem TJ," Alpha said, "I'll tell them right away. But why?"   
  


"No time to tell you Alpha, just get the others to do it." With that, he cut off communications and sneaked up, as best as he could, towards the battle.   
  


The others had apparently followed Alpha's request, because now it was evident that they were herding the five Psycho Rangers together. While they were doing that, TJ was setting up his Astro Blaster, with the Booster Mode. He knew that the weapon should be able to spread a wide beam, hitting all five Psychos at once, and hopefully giving them as much damage as possible.   
  


Now all of the Psychos were in place. "Here goes nothing," he muttered, aiming his weapon. "Astro Blaster, wide energy beam!!" With that command, the weapon let loose a wide-spread energy beam, hitting all five Psychos at once. And amazingly, they went down.   
  


"TJ!" Carlos shouted when the Blue Ranger showed himself. "Good timing!" The others nodded in agreement.   
  


"You haven't won yet, Rangers!" Ashley screamed, standing up. Her suit, like those of the other Psychos was badly damage, with burn marks all over. She held out her blaster. "Our mistress commands that you die, and so shall we obey!" With that, she fired, aiming directly at Cassie. "Goodbye, friend!" Before anyone could react, the energy blast hit Cassie, sending her flying back.   
  


"Noooo!!" Andros shouted, running towards the fallen Pink Ranger.   
  


"Dammit," Marie muttered, already getting her Solar Sais out. "You'll pay for that!" she shouted, ready to rush at the Psycho Ranger.   
  


"No," TJ said, "We've got to get Cassie out of here." He tapped his communicator, "Alpha, get us out of here!"   
  


"Yes TJ," Alpha immediately responded, and all five Rangers teleported away in brilliant columns of light.   
  


~ * ~ * ~ * ~   
  


"How is she?" Andros asked Alpha as the robot ran scans over a demorphed Cassie.   
  


"She'll be fine," Alpha assured the anxious Ruby Ranger. "Her suit absorbed most of the blast, so her body didn't take as much. She'll be as good as new once she gets some rest."   
  


Andros let out a sigh of relief. His mind burbled with happiness and he barely registered his acknowledgment and thanks to the robot. She was going to be okay. That was all that he needed to know. That was all that mattered at the moment. She was going to be okay. As long as that remained true, he would be happy. She was going to be okay. Because without Cassie, Andros didn't know what he would do.   
  


He sat down in the chair beside the bed, taking one of Cassie's limp hands into his own. The skin beneath his was so soft, yet chilled. But, reassured by what Alpha had said, he knew that condition wouldn't last for long. His eyes traveled to the face of the Pink Ranger, wondering anew at the delicate beauty that he saw there. Yet, beneath that delicate exterior lay a heart so strong that he sometimes all he could do was stand and marvel at the strength Cassie possessed.   
  


Andros knew in his entire being that he loved Cassie Chan. Had loved her practically from the moment he had laid eyes on her. There never could be anyone else for him after her. So why was it so damned hard to make their relationship work?   
  


*Why?* Andros hadn't even realized that he had been projecting when he heard Marie's question. He decided to answer it.   
  


*Yes, why?* he asked again, *Cassi e and I are shal'nar, Marie. It is an acknowledged bond and yet there have been so many problems. Is it fate telling us that we should separate?*   
  


*I swear, you are being such an idiot lately!* she said, her mental tone sounding more than just a little annoyed, *Just because you two are soul-bonded does not give you the exclusive right to have a problem-free relationship! Obviously you've been reading too many romantic fairy-tales or some such thing. Like I've been telling your sister here, love is a blessed, wonderful thing well worth fighting for. And yes, there are times when things are going to be rocky, but that's why you have to fight to keep the love alive and strong!* She paused for a moment, before asking a question. *Is it worth it to you to keep fighting? Is Cassie worth it?*   
  


Andros looked over at the sleeping form of the Pink Ranger. He knew the answer right away. *Yes, she is worth it.*   
  


*Good, now will you bloody stop feeling so sorry for yourself and actually do something useful besides being broody?*   
  


~ * ~ * ~ * ~   
  


Nearby, Astronema was going through a magic-strengthening session with TJ. The Blue Ranger was laid out on another bed, barely conscious of all that was happening around him. "Okay, I didn't think that I'd be needing to use my powers on you again this soon." she commented, while adding another layer of protection to keep the Passion Fever spell down in the Blue Ranger.   
  


Marie sighed, "Well, since that blast hit Cassie, and the object of TJ and Andros' affections is Cassie.... well, things would have easily gotten ugly."   
  


Astronema rolled her eyes, "This is why I don't ever plan on falling in love. Much too complicated. I mean, with Rita and Zedd, and Divatox and Maligore as examples, I never once thought about having that kind of relationship. It's just too, stupid. After all, what's the point in having your heart stomped on time after time, just because you're searching for your 'soulmate'? Like such a thing even exists."   
  


"It exists," Marie said quietly, looking at Astronema with serious eyes. "As long as we have a soul, there will always be another being out there who complements and completes that soul. Love exists. And you're right, it's a damned complicated thing that will make you wonder sometimes if it's all worth it. But it is. Because, without love, there is no hope. And without love and hope, well, good might as well give up now, because then evil will have won."   
  


For a long moment, Astronema stayed silent, her attention fixed on the spell, while another part of her mind processed what the Gold Ranger had said. Love. It was something that she had always distanced herself from. It was something always to be avoided because it caused nothing but heartache and pain. The powers of Good were always trumpeting at how wonderful love supposedly was, but she had never believed it. Had never wanted to believe it. She turned again to face the Gold Ranger, her hands still over TJ.   
  


"Love," Astronema started, "Love, may be worth the heartache as you say. But it is not something that I can believe in. Not right now."   
  


Marie tilted her head, her green eyes watching Astronema, "But maybe one day?"   
  


Astronema looked away, unable to face the real question in the Gold Ranger's eyes. But softly, she answered, "Maybe, one day."   
  


~ * ~ * ~ * ~   
  


Darkonda, once known as Doshar Ishwan, sat on the bridge of his tiny spacecraft. As was the usual these past months, his leathery fingers were flying across the panels, calling up bits of information, all relating to one thing: his son. After he had regained his memories, it had taken him years of research to locate any remnants of his family. He had found only one, his son, Solrac. Years after that had led him to this planet, Earth.   
  


Now, after months of searching, he had finally found the identity of his long lost son. But his heart had shattered when he had learned of Solrac's new identity. He knew that it was of someone who would consider his an enemy for as long as he lived.   
  


Solrac was the Black Astro Ranger, Carlos Valerte. 


	8. The Beginning Of The End

****

Disclaimer: _As always, any and all characters related to Power Rangers don't belong to me. The characters of Cyndra and Marie Fox belong to Greeneyes. Do not use either characters without her permission please. For permission, email her at: pikarangerbsb@hotmail.com._

****

Author's Notes: _This is starting approximately a week after the events of 'Connections of Memories'. And as the title suggests, this story is now making its way to an end. I do know where and how this story will end, so do not be afraid that this will drag on forever. I hope you've enjoyed reading this so far. ^_^_

****

The Beginning of the End

By: Jade Daniels

"As I mentioned in my report Lord Specter, everything has gone according to plan. My five Psycho Rangers defeated the Astro Rangers, sending them back to their ship with their tails between their legs. They haven't even so much as shown their faces in the past week." Cyndra, granddaughter of Dark Specter, smiled as she looked at her grandfather through the ship viewer. She knew that she had every right to be smiling, now that her mission was succeeding. The last battle against the Astro Rangers had proved that the Psychos were much more powerful than the pitiful Power Rangers.

"But, your Psychos have not yet _destroyed_ the Astro Rangers," Dark Specter said, a slight growl in his gravelly voice.

Cyndra's smile disappeared. "Yes, that is true. The Rangers teleported away before my team could get their hands on them, but that means nothing Lord Specter. All it shows is the cowardice of the Rangers; them willing to run away from my Psychos."

"You also did not anticipate the return of the Blue one," Dark Specter pointed out.

Cyndra started to frown. This interview was not going as well as she had planned. "Another minor flaw, but one that is of little concern. From what I detected, the spell within him is only suppressed, not entirely gone. There is still the possibility that he will return to a catatonic state at any time, rendering the Rangers once again without a fifth. In fact, I can induce that state anytime I wish."

"Not as long as Astronema remains aboard their ship," replied her grandfather sternly, "You were a fool Cyndra, for letting her escape your grasp. Her knowledge of magic and of our workings will give those Rangers an edge, an edge that might well be your undoing."

"No!" Cyndra protested, her fists slamming against the console. "That will never happen! The day that Astronema and those Rangers defeat me will be the day I die."

There was a long moment of silence and Cyndra, for a moment, wondered if she had spoken too much. Her emotions were running high right now, and she knew better than to let those emotions control her. But when her grandfather had suggested that possibly she would fail, she could not let that comment pass by. She was the High Mage Cyndra, blood of his blood! How could he even possibly think that she would fail in this mission? That she would not fulfil in her duties as one of his kin?

It was _not _possible. 

It would _never_ happen.

She would _never_ fail.

"Do not raise your voice to me young lady," Dark Specter growled, his golden eyes glowing. "You will remember with whom you speak." Cyndra's face paled as she nodded. "Now, as I was saying," he growled, "You must be on the alert for Astronema. I foresee something, strange happening with her. It is one of the reasons why I had her taken from her family in the first place. She has strong powers Cyndra. Do not underestimate her, especially now that she has joined with the Rangers."

"No, I will not make that mistake...again," Cyndra said softly, her eyes now downcast. There were very few people to whom Cyndra would submit to. Dark Specter was one of those very few. He had a power and position that towered over hers. It was something that she longed for, and something she that she herself would have one day soon.

Dark Specter nodded, "Good. The Day of Destruction is drawing near. We have little time for new problems. I have taken almost all the energy I need from Zordon. And soon, the stars within all the galaxies will be in perfect alignment. Good and evil have always been in a perfect balance, did you know that Cyndra?" The mage shook her head and Dark Specter continued, "Few others have. But that is why neither side has ever really won, but must be at constant war with each other to maintain that balance. However, on the Day of Destruction, the balance will be thrown, and there will be the chance for one side to reign supreme. And I mean for our side to be that one."

Cyndra's sapphire eyes sparkled, "It will be a glorious coming."

"I'm glad you think so," Dark Specter said, his voice tinging with sarcasm. "But in order to be prepared for the Coming, we must begin our preparations now."

"What must I do?" Cyndra asked, suddenly realizing with delight that her role on Earth was going to become a lot bigger.

"You must begin to overwhelm the Ranger forces on Earth," instructed Dark Specter, "Thus far, all you have done is send down the occasional solitary monster, or slightly superior forces. You have to go further than that now. Send down not just one small squadron of foot soldiers, but an entire army! And do not just attack one city, but as many cities as you possibly can! Chaos is what we are striving for Cyndra. Chaos to keep the forces of good out of the way so that the dark work may continue."

Cyndra bowed, "I will do as you ask."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"So, what do you think?" asked Ashley Hammond, the Yellow Psycho Ranger, turning away from the mirror to face her lover, the Red Ranger. It seemed a little stupid to continually call him that, but she knew of no other name for him. She had though, pared down the long title into something more a bit more manageable: Red.

"What?" Red shook his head, as if coming out of a daze to look at her. He was lying on the bed they shared, gazing up at the ceiling. Ashley had noticed that he had been doing that a lot lately.

She sighed in exasperation at his lack of attention and pointed to the outfit that she was wearing. It consisted of a skimpy yellow bikini top, with thin spaghetti straps tied around her neck. From her hips hung an extremely short white leather skirt, with slits coming up on both sides. The outfit was completed with a pair of strappy white sandals that laced up along her calves. The Yellow Psycho posed. "I asked, what do you think?" 

He took one look and said, "It's nice."

Ashley blinked, at first not believing the words that had come out of Red's mouth. "Nice?" she screeched, "Nice? That's all that you can say, to this?" She jumped onto the bed, climbed over Red 

and straddled him, forcing him to look her in the eye. "Usually you're all over me when I have something like this on. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Get off, I'm not in the mood," he snarled, all but throwing her off of him. He did manage to roll out from under her though. She stared at him, a curiosity about his behavior growing in her mind.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she repeated, continuing to watch him. He was pacing around the bedroom now, reminding her of a caged animal. Again, something that had been occurring a lot lately.

"Red, Ruby, Gold, Silver..." he muttered, so quietly that Ashley barely heard him. 

"What are you muttering about now?" she asked, quickly growing tired of this. She wanted his attention on her, not on whatever it was that he was currently thinking about.

He twisted his head savagely, his black eyes glowing as they looked upon her. Ashley was startled at the sight. "I see Silver, I see Red. It is like a net, holding me down, trapping me." His body swayed back and forth. "I cannot be Red. I cannot take the full power. Don't you see? The Silver still pulls!"

This was not something that Ashley wanted to deal with. She scrambled off of the bed, intent on reaching the door. But Red was quicker, suddenly appearing in front of her like he had teleported there. Ashley slammed into him, the impact forcing her to backpedal until she hit the bed. She looked at him impatiently, but also with some concern. This was not the Red Ranger that she knew. Yes, he was occasionally manic, which made him fun, but he had never been like this. The Yellow Psycho Ranger knew that something had to be seriously wrong. Hadn't her Mistress warned her of something like this?

He stalked towards her, his face looking confused. "I'm not Silver. I'm not Red. I am in between." 

"Yeah, you're in between me and the door," she snarled in reply. If Red wasn't going to play with her, then there was no point in her staying.

He continued towards her, his black eyes now blank, as if he was no longer seeing her. "Red, Silver.... Silver, I once knew you. Who are you now? Red, you were someone else, no longer mine, damaged. Now Red again, Red again, Red again....."

Ashley expertly ducked out of Red's way, letting him land himself on the bed. By this time she was ready to give him a good swift kick in the head, if only to get him back to the way he had been. "You're no good to me, or the Mistress like this," she muttered darkly, her fear of him now gone. She watched him crawl onto the bed, curling up in a fetal position. 

She sniffed disdainfully, wondering now what in the world to do. But she knew she only had one choice. Pressing a button the comm system, she called for her Mistress Cyndra.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Astronema, once formerly carrying the title as the Princess of Evil, looked up with wary eyes as her brother, Andros, the Ruby Ranger came into the training room. Upon seeing the Rangers train in here, Astronema had taken advantage of the Megaship's holograph rooms to do some training on her own. She knew that she would need it, especially if she was ever going to defeat Cyndra in battle.

She could see that her brother was hurt by the wariness he saw in her eyes, but it was something she couldn't help. Even after these past few weeks, she still couldn't completely trust any of the Rangers. Her help had been given only because it would eventually help her defeat Cyndra, not because of any trust she had in them. It didn't even matter if Andros was her brother; any bond they might have had once could not be recreated in the short time that she had been on board the Megaship. 

Despite her attitude, Andros still came towards her, looking like he was pulling something out of a waist pouch attached to his belt. A flash of memory came to her as she looked at that pouch and she looked up at him. "You always carried a pouch with you, because you were always collecting things," she blurted out without thought.

His eyes widened in surprise, but then he smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'm glad that you remembered that. And this time I have something important I want to give you." He held out a small silver ring. "Here, this is for you."

Astronema looked at it curiously, wondering why it had a sense of familiarity to her. It was almost as if, she knew that the silver ring was meant for her. She looked up at her brother, "What is it? I can tell that it isn't just an ordinary ring."

Andros smiled, "No, it isn't. See this?" He held up his right hand, which sported a gold band on the index finger, similar to the silver one but with a tiny red crystal at the top. "This is what lets me transform into the Ruby Ranger."

Astronema's eyes widened as his words sunk in. "Wait, _you_ want to give _me_ a morpher?!? Why?" She realized how she sounded, but she couldn't hold in her surprise. After all, the last thing she ever expected was for someone, much less her brother, to hand her a morpher to become a Power Ranger.

"Because it's yours," Andros answered. He paused for a moment, as if contemplating his next words. "When I received my morpher, I also got this one. I knew back then, just like I know now, that this was meant for you. It has always been meant for you." He placed the silver ring in her palm. "Despite the fact that you were once known as Dark Specter's heir, as well as the Princess of Evil, I place this, the Amethyst Morpher, in your care. Wear it well Karone."

She ignored the name, but couldn't ignore the sensation that she felt from the contact of that piece of metal against her skin. She looked at it, to find that it was glowing a brilliant purple. Somehow, she knew that the power that lay inside the ring had accepted her as its owner. Her violet eyes met with Andros'. "Thank you," she whispered, knowing with all of her heart that she meant those words and the ones she would say next. "I promise to be true to the responsibilities of being a Power Ranger." With those words, she put on the ring, finding that it fit neatly on her finger. As if it had been made perfectly for her. Perhaps it had been.

"The Amethyst Ring has accepted you, so let it be known now to one and all, that you are the Amethyst Ranger." Though the words sounded ritualistic, Astronema felt a sense of pleasure at being given that title. "If you remain true to your promise, the Powers will never desert you," Andros continued, a smile now on his face, "Power Rangers fight against evil, but they never engage the battle. Power Rangers must always be ready to defend the innocent, sometimes even at the cost of their own lives. And Power Rangers are always true and honorable in whatever they do."

He looked at the ring, then back at her. "Want to try it out?" he asked. There was a curiosity, and excitement coming from the Ruby Ranger. How Astronema could sense it, she didn't know. She knew that it had nothing to do with her magical abilities, although she could sense that those had been augmented somehow by the Ring. But she didn't want to really think about any of those things now, what she wanted to do was test out these new powers!

Astronema held her hand up. Immediately words came to her mind and she knew exactly what to say. "Amethyst Crystal Energize!"

Violet light swirled around Astronema. There was a flash of brilliant white light and there stood the Amethyst Ranger. Her suit was similar to the Ruby Ranger's, except that there was a purple jewel in the center of her suit.

The newly made Amethyst Ranger held out her hand. Automatically, she knew exactly what her weapon would be. "Staff!" In another sparkle of violet light, her staff appeared in her hands. She was surprised to find that it looked exactly like her old one, except that it was now more purple than silver. "I.... I didn't expect my staff to look like this," she said, looking at Andros.

He smiled, "The Amethyst powers have adapted to what you know, and to your magic. I wouldn't be surprised if you find that your power levels in magic have increased."

She nodded, "You're right. They have. I feel like I can do anything right now." Her words trailed off. Suddenly, there was another flash of purple light, and she demorphed, becoming herself once again. "But I can't do anything, not right now. I.... I have to wait for her to find me first."

"Cyndra," Andros said. Astronema looked at him, surprised, but not completely that he had figured out who she had meant. He shrugged. "It's obvious that was who you were talking about. I don't think anyone else could produce those particular feelings in you. But I'm glad that you understand that the rules of being a Ranger."

She nodded, "I could sense that even though I wanted to do it, my Powers wouldn't let me." She tilted her head and looked at him, "You're an empath then?"

Andros nodded. He paused again, giving her a wary-cautious look that told her that she might not like what he was about to say. "There's also something else that you should know. Ever since we were little, we've had this.... telepathic connection," he said, his words coming out slowly, as if he wasn't sure what to say. "When you first came on board, I found that we didn't seem to have that connection anymore. You were closed off to me. But now that you've taken the morpher....I can sense you again."

She blinked, knowing that explained why she could suddenly sense his emotions. There was worry in him, worry that she would reject him because of this reestablished connection. There was also worry that she would think that he had tricked her somehow into wearing the ring so that the connection could be remade. But, there was also love, and a need for that love to be returned, from her.

It didn't take her long to decide on a reply. "It's alright. It's something I can live with. Just as long as you don't go intruding in on me at weird hours...." He vehemently denied ever even thinking of doing such a thing. She chuckled softly at his reaction. "Then we'll be okay. After all, we're sibs, right?" She held out her hand, knowing that was the first time that she had ever allowed such physical contact.

His hand shook slightly as he took hers. It was warm, gentle, and she could feel a power flowing through it that was akin to hers. With that physical contact, she could also more clearly see him mentally. His mental touch was strong, yet she knew that it would open at the slightest touch from the right person. She smiled, knowing that he was accessing those same things about her.

He smiled softly. "Yes," he replied to her almost forgotten statement, "We truly are now brother and sister."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Billy's condition were getting worse. Not only did headaches plague him now, but he was constantly in a state of fever, along with the fact that he sometimes went into convulsions. He know knew how Jason had felt during his stint as the Gold Triforian Ranger. 

Now that the true state of his health had been discovered, the rest of the Rangers had confined Billy to the Med Bay, where he had access to any medications that he needed. But Billy knew that the only way to completely cure him was to sever the Silver power from himself. Although it was the last thing that he wanted, he knew that was the only thing that could be done. 

Unfortunately, no one on board knew anything about the process, including Andros, who had undergone the same thing himself. The people of Ithta couldn't be called upon, not with the current state of emergencies regarding Zordon, and Dark Specter. No one was to be spared from their duties at the time. So all that could be done now was to keep Billy as comfortable as possible until an alternate solution could be found.

Marie was constantly at Billy's side. Whenever she had any free time, she spent it with him. Even if he was asleep, she would sit beside his bed, holding his hand. It was comforting to him, waking up and knowing that someone, especially her, would always be there. 

It was the same again today. Billy had awakened from another nightmare, something that had constantly plagued him these past few days. This one had been about Divatox and her treatment of him. It had been no secret that his time on her ship had been horrible, but it was something that he would rather have forgotten, not remembered in ghastly nightmares. But when he had awakened, he had found himself looking up at Marie's beautiful, yet worried face. Her emerald eyes showed such concern for him, that he knew that he had to immediately put her worries to rest.

"Hey Marie," he greeted, slowly sitting himself up.

She smiled, smoothing her hair behind her ear. It was a nervous gesture that he had begun to notice in her. "Hey Billy, how you feeling?"

Billy shrugged, "Same as always." He put a hand to his forehead, "Headache."

She squeezed his hand, "You should've told us about this earlier! Why didn't you?"

"You needed me," he replied, his blue eyes looking into her green ones. "The team needed me. I couldn't let a minor handicap leave the rest of you without a fifth. Not with first Ashley gone, then TJ out of it.... I couldn't do it."

"Billy, don't you realize that if you're not healthy, you're already no good to the rest of us?" asked Marie, "If you suddenly go down in a battle, then what would we do? That would place you, and the rest of us, in even more danger than if you were just right here in the Med Bay, where you belong!" Marie was almost in tears as she practically shouted those last words.

"Well, now that TJ is back with us," Billy said with a small smile that was meant to reassure the Gold Ranger, "I can stay here as much as needed, okay? You don't have to worry about the team anymore."

"You idiot," she replied, her voice taking on a very exasperated tone, "I'm _not_ worried about the team, I'm worried about _you_!!" Her face turned as red as her hair when she realized what she had said. She let go of his hand like it had burned her. She looked away. "I..... I....."

"It's okay Marie," he said softly, immediately stopping her flow of incoherent words. "That means a lot to me, especially from you." He reached out to take her hand, "You don't have to let go. I like this." He pulled her closer so that she was now sitting right beside him on the bed.

"I'll never let go," she whispered, looking into his eyes, "Not as long as you don't want me to."

"I... I don't think I'll ever want you to let go," he replied, knowing in his heart how true that was.

Neither Silver or Gold Ranger moved or spoke, unwilling to break the beautiful silence that had surrounded them. All either could see or feel at that moment, was each other. And for the moment, that was all they needed.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Thanks for taking over for me Carlos," TJ said as he sat down in a chair on the bridge. He turned to face the Black Ranger "Cassie mentioned that you've been pretty much the leader since I've been, out."

"All in all, I'm just as glad for you to be taking over again," Carlos replied with a wry grin. Although he had already a long experience of being a leader, and had been able to take over for his friend, he really was glad to have TJ as the leader of the team again. He gave the Blue Ranger a curious look. "Wait, you said that you talked to Cassie? I didn't think.... I mean...."

TJ smiled, "It's alright. We discussed a few things. Actually, a lot of things. It ended up that she knows how I feel, and I know how she feels. Cassie loves Andros, and always will. In fact, they've also had a talk, and have made up, again. As for myself, I've had a better understanding of my true feelings compared to those created by the spell. It's disappointing to know that she's with another man, but I know that it's something I'll never interfere with. I'll be able to get over it, one of these days." He ended his words with a shrug.

"That's good to know," Carlos said, not surprised by the remark. He'd known that the Blue Ranger's sentiments would be along those lines without the Passion Fever persuading him. "So, you're on duty now?"

The Blue Ranger nodded. "Yup. Figured I'd get myself back into the game as quickly as possible. Don't want to strike out because I've gone cold with all that bed rest."

Carlos grinned at TJ's baseball metaphors. "Yeah, I can understand that. You going to be okay then? I mean, if you need the company...."

"Nah, I'll be alright," TJ replied with a shake of his head, "If I need help, there's DECA to call on the rest of you. And if I get bored.... I'll play Solitare or something. Don't worry, I'll be fine. You look beat, you probably ought to get some rest."

"Yeah," Carlos rolled his head, loosening the muscles in his neck. "Maybe I should. I'm getting old....." He trailed off with a small smile. "If you're fine, then I'll leave you alone. See ya later Teej." With that, the Black Ranger left the bridge, leaving TJ alone with his thoughts.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Cyndra glared at the Red Ranger, who now stood still, his eyes blank and his face expressionless. She still didn't know what the hell was wrong with him as his rambling had given her no clues. Instead, she had placed back under complete control, which unfortunately made him now much less useful. He was now no better than one of the drones she had used for the extra Psycho Rangers.

But she had no time to care about his condition, not with the Day of Destruction drawing near. She had to do as Dark Specter had instructed; any problems that arose she would have to deal with herself. But how would she accomplish it? It was going to take some time and effort before she would have the number of troops necessary to accomplish the task. And meanwhile, she couldn't let the Rangers know what she was doing. Those stupid scans from their ship would easily be able to detect a sudden increase in activity on board the Dark Fortress.

That meant that she would have to provide some sort of distraction while she set up her troops. The easiest would be to send down the Psychos again and have them wreak their usual brand of havoc. Cyndra nodded to herself as she considered the plan. It would work. While the Rangers were busy with the Psychos, she could have everything set up in the other cities around the world.

"Alright, then that's what I'll do," she said. "Psycho Rangers, present yourselves!" The other four Psycho Rangers, Yellow, Black, Pink and Blue, appeared, standing alongside the Red one. "I have a mission for you. A new battle is needed, one that will force all of the Rangers into Angel Grove. You five will keep them distracted and focused on the battle for as long as I need. If you can defeat them, so much the better. Do you understand?"

"Yes Lady Cyndra," they answered in unison. With those words, they teleported away in five beams of colored light.

"You, follow." She pointed a finger at a lone figure standing in the shadows. At her command, the figure stepped forward. Cyndra smiled, her sapphire eyes gleaming at the thought of the destruction she would cast upon Earth. "At last, I may have use for you, Ecliptor." 

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"The Psychos again?" Cassie moaned as she entered the bridge. Everyone else had already arrived, minus Billy, who was still stuck in the Med Bay.

TJ nodded as he showed everyone the viewscreen, "All five of 'em. Seems like Cyndra isn't wasting any time in using them again."

"Well, we have another weapon that they won't expect," Andros smiled, looking at his sister. "The Amethyst Ranger."

The others looked at Astronema as she held up her hand, which now sported a silver ring with a purple gemstone in the center. "That's me."

"Well what are we waiting for then?" demanded Marie, "Let's go kick some Psycho butt!"

"Good luck Rangers!" Alpha called after them as they headed to the jump tubes.

Six Power Rangers arrived in Angel Grove, in time to watch as the Psycho Rangers blasted down another building. At the sight of the Power Rangers though, the Pyschos stopped and turned towards their foes. 

Ashley stepped forward. "Well, what's this? Another one? Six of you, against our little ol' five? What, you've got to cheat to beat us, oh honorable Rangers?"

"This is just to even the odds," TJ replied calmly, brandishing his Astro Axe. "Now, are you going to surrender, or do we have to force you to?"

Ashley laughed. "Come and get it!"

The battle seemed to drag on forever, or so it seemed to the Rangers. Considering how easily they had been defeated in their previous battle against the Psychos, it was surprising this time how well they were holding up. Maybe it was the addition of the Amethyst Ranger, but none of them really thought so. The addition of one Ranger, no matter what her powers, was not enough to turn the tide for them this much. But before the Rangers could figure out what was going on, the Psychos suddenly vanished away. The Rangers looked at each other, all confused as to what in the world had just happened.

"Someone want to explain what that was all about?" asked Cassie, standing beside Andros.

"I have no clue," replied Marie, putting away her Solar Sais.

"I always figured that Cyndra was insane," Astronema said with a shake of her head, "But certainly not like this. There's got to be a reason for her doing this."

"We can figure it out when we get back to the Megaship," TJ said. The others nodded in agreement. With that, the six Power Rangers teleported away in streams of rainbow light.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Thanks for your help today Astronema," Carlos said as he made his way to the bridge. Now that the battle was over, everyone had gone off to do their own thing, and it was his turn on bridge duty. Maybe he could figure out why Cyndra had suddenly pulled away her troops. The Black Ranger looked at Astronema beside him, and made a mental note to add her to the duty shift roster. Now that she was really a part of the team, she could be trusted to take on other responsibilities.

The blonde girl shrugged, following along behind him. "You're welcome. There is no point in me having these powers if I don't use them to help you guys. Besides, it just makes things all that much harder for her."

"You'll use whatever you can to get at Cyndra, won't you?" asked Carlos with a raised eyebrow.

"Every and any way I can," Astronema clarified, her violet eyes hardening. "She took away everything I had, my friend, my home..... my very identity. And while I may have regained much of that with you guys, she is still my enemy Carlos, and she'll remain that way until she is dead. And I will make sure that her death will be by my hand."

Carlos stopped, looking at the tenseness of her body, the clenched fists, the fury in her eyes. "You hate her," he said simply.

"Of course I hate her," she replied, stopping as well. "After all that she has done to me, how could I not? What, are you telling me that I shouldn't hate her?"

Carlos shook his head, "No, I'm not saying that. It's something that I can understand actually. But, I just want to warn you though, that hatred is a very powerful thing. Especially when it lies in the hearts of Rangers. It's not something that you want there for too long."

The Amethyst Ranger looked at him, "But it's not something that I can give up. It's what gives me power, and keeps me going. And, it's something I've always had. Whether it was hatred against Rangers, against Cyndra..... it's always been something I had. It's a part of me, and I don't know if I can ever let it go."

"But you don't hate Rangers anymore, do you?" asked Carlos now resuming his walk.

She shook her head and followed him again, "No."

"Then one day, you won't hate Cyndra anymore, and maybe then, you'll be able to stop hating," Carlos suggested, thinking in his heart that could be very true. He really didn't think it was in Astronema's nature to hate. She was only like this because of Dark Specter's training upon her. Once she could shake off that training, who she had really been would begin to shine through.

"A lot of things seem to come 'maybe one day'," Astronema said with a small smile.

"What do you mean?" Carlos asked, an eyebrow raised, this time in curiosity.

"It was something that Marie was talking to me about awhile ago," replied Astronema, her eyebrows coming together in a thoughtful frown, "Something about trusting love. I had told her that maybe one day I would believe in love." She looked up at Carlos. "I'm thinking that'll be the same day that I stop hating."

Carlos smiled and nodded, "I think you're right. Love is a powerful thing. It can do a lot of things."

"You ever been in love?" asked Astronema, her violet eyes giving him a piercing stare.

The Black Ranger nodded, "Yes. I still am. But... I haven't been able to see her for a long time now."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Astronema had finally brought the conversation to where she had wanted it. Now was the time to ask her question. By this time, they had entered the bridge. As he sat down in a chair, she walked up beside him. "You mean that you haven't seen her since you came to Earth?" 

Carlos turned around in his chair and looked at her in astonishment. "How...."

"Did I know?" Astronema smiled and shrugged. "It was your life-aura. Anyone who has trained in this type of magic can see it. And I saw yours. It's different from any of the other Rangers, which tells me that you were not born on Earth or Kerova." She tilted her head, "I haven't told anyone else that I know. And am I right in assuming that you haven't either?"

He shook his head, "No, I haven't. And I can't either. It's not something that I can talk about, not even with the other Rangers." He looked at Astronema before turning back to his console, "But since you've found me out, I guess I can talk to you."

She shrugged, "If you want to." She decided to begin things first, "So, what species are you? All I can sense is that you're very long lived."

Carlos nodded. "I am Antarsi. My life span is about a hundred times that of a regular human. I'm about 1700 years old, give or take a few decades. My species is an old one, from a planet that is in the same system as Eltar's actually, which is probably why we're so long-lived."

"Why come here?" she asked, for some reason finding this very interesting.

"At the beginning, it was for research," Carlos answered, "I am a scientist, and was asked to do research on Humans, to study their behavior and the reason their Rangers were able to defeat two of history's most notorious villains. I took on the identity of a young, slightly egotistical Human male since that was what I resembled." 

He smiled as he continued his story, "I found that I really liked soccer. I became friends with a few other Humans. It was all very interesting to me." He paused for a moment, his brown eyes clouding, "I never thought I was going to become a Power Ranger. When Adam, the previous Green Turbo Ranger chose me, it was the last thing I expected. I accepted, because I was asked to. And so, my duties have kept me here on Earth."

"Even at the expense of seeing your family?" asked Astronema, looking at him curiously.

"That's a surprising question, coming from you," Carlos remarked looking back at Astronema.

Astronema shrugged and bit her lip before answering. "I'm starting to learn a bit more about the necessity and advantages of having a family."

"Alright, then to answer your question," Carlos said deciding not to press the issue, "Yes, I have been here at the expense of seeing my family. But I know my duties as a Power Ranger, and if it means sacrificing my time with my wife and children, it is something that must be done. I do keep in contact with them as often as I can though, but it obviously is not the same thing."

"You must really miss them a lot," she said softly.

"Yeah, I really do," he replied. But before he could say anything else, the alarms on the watch board suddenly went off wildy.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The alarms blared all over the ship as DECA's voice called for all the Rangers to report to the bridge. Everyone came rushing in, including Billy, who was looking no better than the last time any of the Rangers had seen him.

"What? What's going on this time?" asked Cassie, as she came running in, her hair wet and a towel thrown over her shoulders.

"Take a look at this," Carlos pointed to the viewscreen. Tiny red dots that indicated monsters were scattered across a map of the world.

"Oh hell, you're kidding me!" TJ said, seeing just how the monsters were scattered across the different continents. "Tokyo, London, Orlando, Vancouver....." There were more places being hit than he could name.

"What in the world is Cyndra doing?" muttered Marie, looking no better than the rest of the Rangers. She had sat Billy down in one of the chairs and was now standing beside him.

"Ai, yi, yi!" exclaimed Alpha as he went up to the station, "It looks like Cyndra has begun an all out attack on a global scale!!"

"That previous battle must've only been a distraction." Andros said with a groan. "This must have been her real goal. But why now? She could have done this long ago. What does this mean?"

"Oh no....." a whisper came from Astronema's direction.

Andros looked at his sister sharply, "What, what do you know Astronema?"

"I had completely forgotten...." Astronema whispered, her face going pale. She looked up at everyone. "It's the beginning, the beginning of the end. The Day of Destruction."

"The Day of Destruction?" asked Billy, "What's that?"

"It's a day that was predicted long ago by Dark Specter," Astronema said with a shaky voice. By now she had sat down in the nearest chair. "He said that when all the stars are in the correct alignment, the balance between good and evil will be thrown into chaos for 24 Earth hours. During that time, either side can force the balance towards their side. Dark Specter means for evil to reign."

Silence followed her words. None of the Rangers knew what to do or say. A few eyes went back to the map, watching as the number of monsters and Quantrons appearing grew larger with each passing second. This was more than any of them had dealt with before. They had neither the number or the forces to deal with something like this. But, they all knew in their hearts that they could not abandon their duties. 

"We have to fight," Cassie's whisper broke the silence. She knew that she had to fight, not only for the planet that was her home, but because of her love for Andros. It would demand no less, because his own planet had been destroyed, she would not let him go through seeing the destruction of another planet.

"Yes," TJ said, knowing that if he didn't fight, his family would die at the hands of the evil he had vowed to destroy. He would not let that happen. There were too many people, not just family, but friends that were counting on him.

"There's no other choice," Billy said softly, his voice barely audible. He knew that his condition was worsening with each passing day, but there was no help for it. But no matter what his condition was, he would not allow anyone to destroy his home. He would fight, to his very death if he had to.

"Yes," Andros echoed, knowing that he would follow Cassie to the ends of the universe. If she would fight, then so would he. He also knew that he couldn't let another planet die at the hands of Dark Specter, not after what had happened to his own.

Marie nodded, knowing in her heart that she could not do otherwise. Not only was this planet the home of the man she, yes she would admit it, loved, but the battle was an eerie echo of what had happened to her own home. With all her strength, she would protect it, no matter what.

Astronema was just as silent as Marie. She had never expected herself to be fighting with the Rangers on the Day of Destruction. For almost fourteen years, she had imagined herself standing beside Dark Specter, reveling in the glory at the chaos and destruction that would have reigned through the universe. Now she had a different dream, one in which she would stand alongside, not only her brother, but the rest of the Rangers as they helped to defend the forces of good on the planet Earth.

"It's something that we have to do," Carlos said, his brown eyes somber. This was going to be a difficult battle, one in which he might not survive. He sent a silent prayer up to whichever god might be listening, asking that his wife and children be taken care of, just in case. It was the last thing he wanted to do, leave Kahva a widow, but he knew that he could not let Dark Specter just take over.

They were Power Rangers. No matter where they had come from, what their past was, or how long they had lived, their duty was clear. They would protect the Earth, because that was what they had to do, no matter what the cost.


	9. Fight For All

Disclaimer: Power Rangers does not belong to me. The characters of Marie Fox and Cyndra belong to Greeneyes. For permission to use either characters, email her at: pikarangerbsb@hotmail.com   
  


Author's Notes: I can't believe that I've gotten to #9 of this story! There are lots of scenes with former Rangers, but don't be worried that the Astros will get overshadowed. I hope that you've enjoyed reading this so far. ^_^   
  


Fight For All 

By: Jade Daniels   
  


Billy Cranston, the Silver Astro Ranger, stared at the growing mass of tiny red dots on the Astro Megaship's global map. Blinking weary eyes, he tried to think of a way that seven people, even with their Ranger powers, could possibly take on a force of this magnitude. Unfortunately, like the rest of the Rangers on board the bridge with him, he was no closer to any ideas than he had when he had first learned of this.   
  


It was DECA's alert that had brought them all here. Carlos informed them all of the situation, that Cyndra was waging war on Earth. The mage had set out troops all over the planet, leaving destruction and chaos in their wake. Astronema had told them of the implications of Cyndra's actions. This was all a setup for the Day of Destruction. It was a day when the forces of good and evil would be thrown out of balance. During that one day, it was possible to complete the imbalance, and force one side to remain in complete control.   
  


It had been a few hours since then. A number of soul-searching, heart-wrenching hours that had passed while Cyndra's forces continued to ravage the Earth. And themselves, as Power Rangers, had been able to do nothing because none of them could think of a damned thing to do. And himself? He was an inventor dammit! He should have been able to think of something, anything, that could help the Rangers in this battle. Why was he just sitting here? Why were the others doing nothing? Why were they allowing his home, their home, to be destroyed before their very eyes?   
  


The logical part of himself answered. As someone well experienced in battling, he knew that they couldn't go into this fight without some sort of plan. Yet, all the odds were against the Rangers. There were only seven of them compared to who knew how many of thousands that Cyndra might have. Cyndra also had powers and abilities that almost none of them possessed. And Astronema had already told them all that she was no match in any way to Cyndra when it came to magic.   
  


What in the world could they do? Billy winced as another wave of pain threatened to split his skull apart. The ever persistent headaches were making it even harder for him to think. He closed his eyes, letting the pain wash over him, waiting for it to ebb away. It was all that he could do now lately. There was no medicine that could help, not unless he wanted to be unconscious. And right now every mind was needed against this disaster.   
  


"Billy, are you alright?" a gentle voice whispered from beside him. He slowly opened his eyes to see Marie looking at him, a worried expression on her face.   
  


"It'll pass," he replied slowly, closing his eyes again. "It always does."   
  


"Maybe you should go back to the Med Bay?" she asked.   
  


"No," he said, putting up a hand, "No. Everyone needs to be here. All of us are needed if we're going to find a solution to the problem."   
  


"Alright," she sighed reluctantly. "But the problem is that there's too many of them for us to fight. Not even on Kerova did Dark Specter put out so many soldiers. There's got to be a way to trap them."   
  


"Trap them?" Billy asked, a thought coming to his head. "Trapping them." As the pain began to slide away, an idea rooted itself in his mind. "Yes, that just might work. Easy to make, and easy to use."   
  


"What are you talking about Billy?" asked Marie, laying a hand on his shoulder.   
  


He smiled, laying his own hand on hers. He opened his eyes again, looking into her green ones. "Thanks to you, I think I may have thought of something that can help us."   
  


"Hey, what's going on?" Cassie suddenly asked as a beeping brought everyone's attention back to the map.   
  


"Rangers, this is amazing!" Alpha exclaimed as he looked over the ship scans. "The number of Quantrons has gone down in some of the cities."   
  


Carlos jumped from his seat, "How?"   
  


"Guys, you aren't going to believe this," TJ said, standing beside Alpha. His voice was soft with surprise. "But there are Power Rangers in those cities."   
  


~ * ~ * ~ * ~   
  


The sound of screaming outside her dorm room awoke Kimberly Harte from a shaky sleep. She had been dreaming about her days as a Power Ranger again. This time, she had been dreaming about an old battle against the Pumpkin Master or something. She really had no idea why she was dreaming about her time as a Ranger. As exciting as it had been, it was a time of her life that she was glad to get over. Kimberly loved the life she had now, studying at college and training in gymnastics. She really couldn't see herself doing anything else.   
  


The persistent screams finally drew her attention. She scrambled out of her bed, thinking that the screams were coming from inside the dormitory. But as she passed by her window, she realized that the screams were coming from outside. A quick glance through the window soon told her why. There was a pair of monsters terrorizing the city. Alongside them was an army of foot soldiers; Kimberly identified them as Quantrons, having been given their description through Billy's letters.   
  


"I don't believe this!" she exclaimed, wondering if this was her nightmare come true. But the image before her refused to fade away, leaving her with the reality that this was something that had to be immediately dealt with. And there was only one way she knew that she would be able to do anything.   
  


She quickly rummaged through one of her drawers, a special one that contained anything and everything that was precious to her. Kimberly picked out two things from inside: her old communicator, which she immediately slapped onto her wrist, and her old Pterodactyl morpher. The silver object was still twisted and burned from when it had been destroyed by Zedd's forces, before she had taken on the Ninja Powers.   
  


Kimberly bit her lip, wondering if what she was about to do was a smart thing. She knew the warnings that had been given when her Pterodactyl morpher had been destroyed, but would that matter now? Especially when there were so many other people at risk? No, she would not allow the monsters to take over. She knew what she had to do.   
  


"Looks like I have to do this again," she whispered, holding out the morpher in front of her. "It's Morphin' Time!" Her shout seemed to activate something inside the device. She could feel the power from the coin waiting to be released. "Pterodactyl!!" Instantly, pink shimmering light surrounded her, transforming her from college gymnast Kimberly Harte, into the Pink Pterodactyl Ranger.   
  


Since teleporting was out of the question, she climbed out of her window, thanking her small frame and the size of the window that allowed her to do so. No one noticed her entrance; the people were too busy screaming and running in every possible direction. She managed to weave her way towards the two monsters.   
  


"Power Bow!" she called out. Instantly her weapon was in her hands. She felt a sudden rush at she aimed the bow. Quicker than seemed possible, the Pink Ranger launched a barrage of arrows at the Quantrons, soon rendering the ones near her useless. That was when the two monsters finally noticed her.   
  


"A Power Ranger?" one said, tilting its head. It looked like a stereotypical version of Jack Frost. Dressed in icy blue and whites, it had spikes all over, representing, what Kimberly thought were icicles, including one on the end of its very long and blue, nose. It looked at her like a cat would eye a mouse, and gave her a wide grin.   
  


"Aw, and it's all alone," the other sneered. This one sort of reminded Kimberly of a female Tenga, with a longer beak and not as many feathers on the head. It grinned as much as it could with it's long black beak. "Isn't it cute?"   
  


The frosty one stepped forward. "So little Ranger, do you really think you have a chance of defeating the both of us with your puny little weapon?"   
  


The Pink Ranger seemed to shine with a glowing pink light. Even if she hadn't wanted this job again, she had to admit that it was as thrilling as ever. Beneath her helmet, she smiled. "Why don't we find out?"   
  


~ * ~ * ~ * ~   
  


Justin Stewart had never thought he would be meeting monsters in Tokyo. Despite all those Godzilla movies, everyone knew that monsters only appeared in Angel Grove. At least, that's what he had thought. The last thing he had expected during his time here with his father, was to see monsters rampaging in downtown Tokyo. It almost reminded him of being back in Angel Grove.   
  


But at least now Justin knew why an old friend had come to visit him last night. It had taken the young man by complete surprise when Storm Blaster, the blue jeep from his Turbo Ranger days, had managed to find him. Justin had been even more surprised by the gift that the sentient vehicle had given him: his old Turbo morpher, in working order. Most of the damage done by Divatox's forces had been repaired.   
  


Unfortunately, not all of it had been fixed. It hadn't taken the young genius long to run a few limited tests of his own on the morpher. Those tests proved that while the morpher was working, it was unstable, and prone to break down at any time. Justin knew that meant that if he even tried using the Power, it could end up being a fatal mistake.   
  


"There's no other choice," Justin whispered, pulling out his Turbo Key from his pocket. He knew what he had to do. Running out of the house, he headed for the nearest unoccupied area, knowing that he would never be able to explain something like this to his dad. The thirteen year old looked around quickly to make sure that no one was around. Satisfied, he flicked his left wrist, producing his Turbo Morpher.   
  


"Shift into Turbo!" He moved his hands in the familiar pattern, inserting the key into the morpher and turning it. Blue light surrounded him as he shouted, "Mountain Blaster, Turbo Power!" The blue light became even more brilliant and he could feel himself transform from the thirteen year old Justin Stewart, into a full grown Blue Turbo Ranger.   
  


Taking out his Autoblaster, he immediately ran towards the location of the monsters. He sent up a silent prayer to whoever might have been listening as he ran:   
  


I hope I survive this.   
  


~ * ~ * ~ * ~   
  


Fighting in the rain was not one of Tommy Oliver's favorite things to do. The only consolation he had was that he was at least in his White Tiger Ranger suit, in which the moisture of the continuing rainfall couldn't penetrate. Vancouver was known for its rain, but he hadn't really appreciated that fact until now.   
  


"Why in the world did I wake up this morning?" he asked out loud, for almost the hundredth time that day, as he used his sword to cut through the metallic Quantrons. Saba cut through each one of the foot soldiers easily, leaving a trail of inoperative metal parts in the White Ranger's wake.   
  


"Because if you aren't known for sleeping in?" the sword took the time to ask as Tommy used him to slice through another set of Quantrons.   
  


"Yeah, but if I had known I'd be doing this...." muttered Tommy. "Now, where did those two uglies go?" He had been following a pair of monsters, who had decided that terrorizing the citizens of Vancouver would be fun, since that morning. Unfortunately, an army of Quantrons had gotten in the way. Now that he had managed to cut a path through the metal things, he was now looking for the two monsters.   
  


"You've been looking for us, Ranger?" a voice called from above him. Tommy looked up to find his two foes, standing on top of one of the tall towers that situated downtown Vancouver.   
  


"You ready for this Saba?" asked Tommy looking at the sword which had once been and was once again, his partner.   
  


"Always," the sword answered, never faltering in his reassurance and support for the White Tiger Ranger who was his master and friend.   
  


Tommy nodded. "Then let's do it." Upwards he jumped until he faced the two monsters before him. Ugly things they were. A matched pair they were, looking like giant fishes on legs. In fact, they reminded Tommy very much of Piranatrons. "At least they look at home in the rain," muttered the White Ranger as he proceeded to defend himself, and the city from the two evil underlings.   
  


~ * ~ * ~ * ~   
  


"Alright, so everyone knows where to go, and what to do?" asked TJ, looking at each person on board the launch bay of the Astro Megaship. It was a small crowd that was squished into the limited space of the bay. For not only were there Astro Rangers and the two Crystal Rangers, but almost half a dozen former Power Rangers on board as well.   
  


With the discovery of the other Power Rangers fighting in different cities around the globe, the six former Rangers that were currently in Angel Grove had been teleported on board the Astro Megaship. Three of them, Adam Park, Aisha Campbell, and Rocky DeStantos were found to still have use of their old Ranger Powers. That had explained the other Rangers signals that had been detected in Orlando, Tokyo and Vancouver.   
  


It was explained that the original Morphin' powers had never been actually destroyed, but the morphers, the channels of that power, had been. However, all of the old Rangers had been told that they could still use the morphers as channels of the Power, but at a possible high cost: their lives. If the morphers were not in top working order, they were unstable, which made the Power used just as unstable. The instability could have fatal effects upon whoever tried to use the Power. Under normal circumstances, none of the former Rangers would be foolish enough to even think of using their old morphers. But these were hardly normal circumstances.   
  


All the Rangers knew that they could use any and all the extra manpower they could get. So Adam, Aisha and Rocky, along with the Crystal and Astro Rangers were going to be teleporting to battle sites around the globe, trying to stem the destruction that the monsters were creating. It was the only real plan that any of them had at the moment.   
  


The other three former Rangers, Katherine Hilliard, Jason Scott and Trini Kwan would remain on board, going into battle using the Astro Megaship against the Dark Fortress. They all knew how dangerous it was to use non-Rangers, even former ones, to pilot the Megaship, but like the other three, they had no other choice. Their job would be to try and disable the Dark Fortress' teleportation device. Astronema had already shown them where it was and had given the best schematics that she could of the place. It hoped that with DECA and Alpha's help, the three former Rangers would be able to take out the menacing spaceship.   
  


There was also another task for Trini to do. With the help of schematics that Billy had made, she would be building a device that would be useful in trapping large groups of Quantrons all at once. With any luck, the former Yellow Ranger would be able to finish the device in time for the Rangers' use.   
  


"Don't worry, I can have it done in time," the Asian girl had assured everyone. Her lips parted in a sad smile. "It'll be just like in the old days."   
  


Why Billy wouldn't be helping her was because he would be in the middle of the battle fighting, although not as the Silver Ranger. There had been a big argument over whether or not he had been in any condition to fight. Billy had believed that he could get around the pain to do some good, while the rest of the Astros knew that from previous experience, the Silver Ranger was not up to any fighting.   
  


*Flashback*   
  


"The only way to sever me from the Silver Powers is to have a Morphin' Master do it!" Billy argued, glaring at everyone, especially Marie. She was so vehemently against him going anywhere except back to the Med Bay. "And we all know that we can't just call one up right now. So what is the point in me having these powers if I can't do a damned thing with them?"   
  


"You weren't given those powers just so you could kill yourself with them!!" Marie shot back, her green eyes flashing with anger.   
  


Cassie nodded in agreement. "Billy, you are no condition to fight. Why can't you see that?"   
  


"This is something I have to do," Billy answered, "Earth is my home. I am a Power Ranger. I will fight to protect my planet no matter what condition I'm in."   
  


"I know how he feels," Jason put in, surprising everyone. "It was just the same for me when I was the Gold Zeo Ranger. No matter what was happening to me, I had to keep on fighting." He turned to the Astro Rangers. "You aren't going to convince him otherwise, believe me."   
  


"Isn't there some way that he can fight?" asked Trini, frowning in thought. "I mean, you guys said that it was the Silver Powers that were affecting him, right?" The Astros nodded. "Okay, so that means that there will have to be an alternative. Since we can't sever the Power from him, maybe we can find something that will shield the affects." Her face lit up, "Like his Triceratops Powers!"   
  


Katherine frowned, "Will that work?"   
  


"And isn't that a dangerous risk?" asked Carlos, "We already know that there will be a risk just using the unstable morphers. On top of Billy's condition, won't that just make it worse?"   
  


"Not necessarily," answered Billy, wondering when he had gone into the background. "Trini's right. The Blue Powers should be able to be used that way. If I go in as the Blue Ranger, the symptoms from the Silver Powers shouldn't affect me." He looked at the others for support.   
  


Adam nodded. "Makes sense. But Carlos is right too Billy. If the Blue Powers run out, the affects from the Silver drain could double or triple. Are you willing to risk that?"   
  


"How can I not?" Billy replied   
  


*End Flashback*   
  


~ * ~ * ~ * ~   
  


Jason watched as each person answered TJ's question with a nod. Although it really wasn't his place, he silently approved of the current Ranger leader. He was straightforward, organized, and knew how to plan. Despite how the Turbo Rangers had ended up, Jason was confident that TJ could lead the current crop of Astro, Crystal, Morphin' and former Rangers to victory.   
  


"Is there anything else?" TJ asked. This time, everyone shook their heads. Seeing this, the Blue Astro Ranger took a deep breath. "Okay, I know what we're all getting into. And I know that we are spreading ourselves incredibly thin. And though the odds may seem to be against us, I know we're going to come out of this on top."   
  


With that, he stepped up onto the launch tubes. The other three Astro Rangers, Carlos, Marie and Cassie followed. As one, they shouted, "Let's Rocket!" Together, they jumped down their respective tubes, launching themselves to their respective destinations.   
  


Andros and Astronema were next. They each held their hands up, revealing shining gold and silver rings. Together they shouted, "Crystal Energize!" In flashes of red and violet, they transformed into the Ruby and Amethyst Rangers. Two more flashes of light, and they vanished away.   
  


Billy, Adam, Aisha and Rocky were the last. They each looked at them, more than one with tears in their eyes. Jason spoke for the three that would remain behind. "Good luck guys." He gave a shaky laugh. "Make sure to come back. After all, Trini and I still want you at the wedding."   
  


The four smiled as they clasped onto their morphers. They knew that there would be no promises. With one voice, they shouted, "It's Morphin' Time!" Blue, black, yellow and red columns of light appeared, first transforming the four into Power Rangers, then teleporting them away, leaving the three former Rangers together.   
  


"Well, we might not get flashy exits, but we've also got a job to do," Jason said, his voice slightly hoarse. He looked at the two women beside him.   
  


Trini nodded, tears still shining in her eyes, "Yeah, I'll get started on the trapping device."   
  


"And we'll get ourselves onto the bridge," Katherine said quietly, with a nod to Jason.   
  


Together they left the launch bay, now leaving it echoingly empty. Only one entity remained, having watched the entire proceedings through her camera lens. Although not truly capable of humanoid thoughts or emotions, DECA did wonder if she would see any of those people return. And maybe, it the deepest part of her circuitry, she hoped that they would.   
  
  
  


~ * ~ * ~ * ~   
  


"Power Lance!" Zack Taylor looked up in shock as he saw a Blue Power Ranger jump over him to cut through the Quantron he had been fighting. What really shocked the former Black Ranger was that this was no ordinary Blue Ranger, standing in front of him was the Blue Triceratops Ranger.   
  


"Billy?!?" he exclaimed.   
  


"Zack, get out of here!" Billy shouted, as he fought off another Quantron with his Power Lance.   
  


Though by no means in any way protected, Zack knew that he could not do as Billy asked. It had been the same as when he had awoken that morning to find London invaded by monsters and Quantrons. Few others had his skill, experience and training, so he knew that he had been the only one that could possibly do anything against this menace. So, using only his hands and feet, alongside Billy, he continued to help fight off the Quantrons.   
  


"What are you doing Zack?" Billy demanded, "I told you to get out of here!"   
  


"Hey, I'm not going to leave one of my best friends out here alone!" Zack replied as he delivered a blow to a Quantron. He ignored the way his fist protested as flesh clashed against metal.   
  


"Dammit Zack, if I have to, I'll get Alpha to teleport you out of here........." Billy's voice trailed off as another set of Quantrons rushed at him.   
  


"No can do Billy boy," answered Zack as he used one of his patented hip-hop kido moves. Suddenly he found a Bladeblaster being tossed his way. He looked at Billy in surprise. "What's this?"   
  


"If you aren't leaving, I can't leave you unprotected," Billy answered, his voice filled with resignation, yet Zack thought he detected a hint of understanding.   
  


He smiled as he began using the Bladeblaster. "Thanks Billy." With that, he began fighting with all that he had.   
  


~ * ~ * ~ * ~   
  


Once the identity of his son had been found, it hadn't taken Darkonda long to track down Solrac. The Black Astro Ranger had been detected teleporting from the Megaship down to one of the southern continents of Earth. Darkonda had debated with himself whether or not to follow Solrac. After all, his son was a Ranger now, would he even consider speaking with his father, especially after all that Darkonda had done? But he knew that he wanted to explain everything to Solrac, no matter what. His son had to know what had really happened, why he seemingly had turned to the side of evil.   
  


So Darkonda teleported himself down to where the Black Astro Ranger was currently fighting. The sight that greeted him reminded him of the battles that he had fought when he had been Doshar. The sound of metal on metal drew him to where Solrac was. Immediately, he drew out his own weapon, knowing without a doubt that he had to help his son. He began blasting any and all Quantrons that were in his way. Solrac didn't seem to notice his entrance at first; he was too busy with his own set of foot soldiers.   
  


"What the hell are you doing here?" the Black Ranger demanded when he finally noticed Darkonda. "Out collecting another bounty for Dark Specter? Maybe you're under Cyndra's orders?" The disgust in his voice was evident.   
  


"Do you really think I'd be helping you if I was under Cyndra's orders boy?" he retorted, kicking a Quantron out of his way.   
  


"Don't call me that. I'm no longer your boy," Solrac snarled, but didn't deny the fact that Darkonda was helping.   
  


There was a grudging silence, punctuated only by the sounds of fighting. Neither Ranger nor hunter seemed to know what to say now. Was this how their relationship would be? Darkonda knew from Solrac's reactions that his son was not happy to see him. But if Solrac wasn't willing to listen, how could he ever explain how and why he had become Dark Specter's lackey?   
  


"Behind you!" Solrac suddenly shouted. Immediately Darkonda turned around, using his weapon against the Quantron that had tried to jump him. As the metallic foot soldier was turned into a pile of scrap, he turned back to the Black Ranger. "Thanks, Solrac."   
  


~ * ~ * ~ * ~   
  


For a brief moment, just as Carlos had seen the Quantron about to jump the bounty hunter, he had been tempted to just let it attack. But he knew that he couldn't do that, not if he still wanted to call himself a Power Ranger.   
  


Yet, out of all the people in the universe that he could have met, the last one Carlos had wanted to see was his father. Hell, he really couldn't consider Darkonda his father anymore. The man had given up that particular title too many centuries ago. The bounty hunter was no more his father than Dark Specter was. And both of those monsters Carlos considered his enemies.   
  


Carlos had no idea why Darkonda was helping him now. The man.... monster was hardly known for his generous capacity. Yet he couldn't deny the fact that Darkonda was fighting by his side. If this is a bloody father-son bonding thing, he is much too late for that!   
  


"Damnit, I wish Trini would hurry up with that device!" he muttered to himself. As if his words had been heard, Trini's voice appeared over the communicator.   
  


"All Rangers, I've finished the trapping device. I'm programmed the functions into your weapons arsenal, so you'll be able to instantly use them like any other of your weapons. Just call out the name and it'll appear. Trini out." Carlos felt the corresponding surge of power and he knew immediately what to do.   
  


"Power Net!" he shouted, thrusting his hand up towards the sky. There was a flash of black light and a silver metal ball appeared in his hand. Carlos pressed a button on the metal sphere, which set off a green glow surrounding it. He tossed it into the air over a large set of Quantrons. The sphere seemed to suddenly burst, with a large net made of green energy erupting from it. The net set down over the Quantrons, preventing them from going anywhere. As the energy beams touched each of the foot soldiers, they went down, their circuits fried and scrambled.   
  


"Trini, the trap worked," he immediately reported, getting ready to lob off another sphere.   
  


"Good," she replied, "And don't worry about it running out. I've applied the same technology that the Synthetron uses. You pretty much have an unlimited number of those things."   
  


"Thanks Trini, Carlos out." As another sphere appeared in his hands, he threw it into the air over another set of Quantrons. Just like before, they all went down beneath the net.   
  


"Nice toy," Darkonda commented. Carlos had almost forgotten that he was there.   
  


"What, you going to try and sell it?" he commented as he looked around for more Quantrons. There didn't seem to be any, now that they had seen just how the Black Ranger had taken care of so many of them. It looked like it was time to take care of the leader of this particular group: the Black Psycho Ranger.   
  


~ * ~ * ~ * ~   
  


"I thought I left this stuff behind in Angel Grove," Tanya Sloane growled as she took down a Quantron with a kick to its metallic head.   
  


The former Yellow Ranger had no idea what was going on, only that Quantrons had suddenly appeared in Boston that morning. Lead by one of the Psycho Rangers, she wasn't sure which one, the foot soldiers had started their rampage through the entire city. They left nothing behind them but destruction and chaos.   
  


All she could do so far was fight them off as best as she could. There were a few others helping her, but overall, none of them were able to make any sort of progress against the Quantrons. They just weren't strong enough. Tanya knew that what was needed was Ranger power.   
  


But all the Power Rangers are back in Angel Grove...... She forced that thought away. Tanya knew that it wouldn't do her any good to wish for things that may not come. She had to make do with what she had at the moment.   
  


Tanya found herself being forced into an isolated area. Buildings surrounded her on all sides. There was to escape. Looking around, she saw there was no one else around that could help. She was alone, against what seemed like a million Quantrons. A tremor of fear went through her as she continued to fight. How much longer would she be able to last against the metallic menace? How long before she couldn't fight anymore, before fatigue, injuries, or worse stopped her?   
  


"Tanya look out!" As she heard the shout, she felt something fly over her head. There was a sudden loud click, and a wide green energy net appeared. It flew at the Quantrons, trapping them all inside. As the net touched them, they each went down without a sound.   
  


Tanya looked up, only to find something else fly over her. This time, it was definitely human shaped. Her eyes widened in surprise as she saw that it was a Black Power Ranger. She immediately recognized the suit as the one Adam had described he wore when he had been the Black Mastodon Ranger.   
  


"A...Adam?" she whispered, not truly believing that he was here.   
  


He nodded. "Yeah hon, it's me." With a choked sob, Tanya flew into his arms, not once caring who might be around to see. Adam looked down at her with concern. "Tanya, are you okay? What's the matter?"   
  


She gave a short laugh. "Besides the fact that Quantrons are in Boston?" She shook her head. "Nothing. I'm just so glad to see you. I.... I almost thought I was done for."   
  


He lifted her chin up with a gloved hand. "Nothing is going to happen to you Tanya Sloane. Not while I'm around."   
  


It was a corny and sentimental statement and she loved him for it. She closed her eyes and held him tighter, for the moment letting the rest of the world pass her by. "Thank you," she whispered.   
  


A nearby explosion brought them both back to reality.   
  


"It's time to go back to work," she said softly, gently pulling away from him.   
  


He nodded. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, "I mean...."   
  


She smiled. "I know what you mean. But even without any powers, this is what I have to do."   
  


"Just be careful out there," he said to her, "I don't want to lose you."   
  


"Follow your own advice and we'll both be okay," she replied with a small smile. With that, the two warriors headed off, ready to fight to save their planet.   
  


~ * ~ * ~ * ~   
  


"This was a lot easier when we had the Powers to help us," Katherine said in a low undertone as her eyes gazed over the monitors before her. "Lot less nerve-wracking too."   
  


"Well, no one ever said that it would be easy," Jason replied, concentrating on the panel in front of him. "Look, don't worry Katherine. We'll do the best we can. That's what we, as Power Rangers, have always done. Besides, we got DECA and Alpha to help us out here."   
  


"Yes Katherine," DECA's camera glowed red, "If you are in need of assistance, you have only to ask me."   
  


"Or me," Alpha put in, coming up beside the former Pink Ranger.   
  


Katherine smiled, "Thanks guys. I guess I'm just.... nervous about this whole thing. This is a big task we're taking on. And it just reminds me too much of being a sitting duck, you know, not in Ranger suits and all." She shook her head, wondering why these thoughts were plaguing her. "I never thought I'd be so dependent on them."   
  


At that moment, Trini walked in. "I got the trap done and sent it out to the Rangers. With any luck, they'll be able to do a lot of damage against the Quantrons with it." She came up to stand beside Jason as the former Red Ranger gave her a hug. "So, how are we doing up here?"   
  


"The Dark Fortress' shields are making it hard for DECA to get a proper scan. If it hadn't been for Astronema's schematics of the place, we wouldn't be able to do anything against it." Katherine looked up, "So we do know where to shoot. The question is whether or not the weapons will have any affect against those shields."   
  


"I guess we just hope for the best," Trini said quietly as she took a seat at the one of the bridge stations.   
  


Jason nodded. "We should get started then. Alpha, bring up the Dark Fortress on the viewscreen please. We're going to have to see what we're shooting at."   
  


"Right Jason, bringing up the Dark Fortress on viewscreen now," Alpha replied. As he said that, the ship's alarms suddenly went off.   
  


"DECA, what's going on?" asked Jason.   
  


"My scans have indicated the presence of a large subspace portal in the vicinity of the Dark Fortress," the computer answered as the picture on the screen swivelled to show the large swirling hole.   
  


"Rangers, there is something coming through that portal," Alpha reported, "There are two large masses, most likely spacecraft of some kind. And.... I do not believe this! Rangers, I have also detected Zordon's signal!"   
  


"What?" all three asked in unison.   
  


"If Zordon's signal is coming through, he must be on one of those ships!" exclaimed Katherine.   
  


All eyes watched as the two large ships came through. One was immediately recognized. It was Divatox's ship. The other, none of them knew. It was huge, much bigger than the other two ships combined. The Megaship itself was tiny compared to it.   
  


"DECA, do you know who that big ship belongs to?" Trini asked.   
  


"Yes Trini," DECA replied, "My scans indicate that the ship is Dark Specter's." 


	10. Closing The Circle

**Disclaimer: **_Power Rangers and its associated characters do not belong to me.  The characters of Marie Fox and Cyndra belong to Greeneyes._

**Author's Notes:**_ Nothing much to say, other than thank you to everyone who has commented and reviewed.  I'm glad you like the story! ^_^_

**Closing The Circle**

**By: Jade Daniels**

Three pairs of eyes stared at the looming mass on the screen of the Astro Megaship.  Against the darkness of space, the leviathan that was the Black Nova, Dark Specter's ship, glowed with pulsating lights.  The Megaship was dwarfed against the mass of the Black Nova.  This was no David and Goliath match.  Only a fool would try and take on this giant.  There was no chance that the Megaship would be a match for Dark Specter's ship.  It was outgunned, outclassed, out-everything.  There was no way to attack and the three humans on board knew it.

"Zordon's signal has been located," reported DECA, startling the three former Rangers.

Alpha looked up from his computations.  "The signal is coming from the Black Nova, not Divatox's ship."

Trini frowned at that piece of news.  "So what do we do now?  The Megaship can't stop that thing!"

Katherine shook her head.  "That thing is bloody impenetrable.  It'd take ten times what the Megaship has in order to even make a dent in that ship."

"Okay, then we've got to let everyone else know what's going on," Jason said, quickly making his decision.  "I've got a feeling that a change of plans is in order."  He looked at the other two.  "Despite the odds, we may get a chance to rescue Zordon."

"Alright, I'll get on the comm," Trini said, already heading towards the station.  "Let's just hope that you're right about those odds Jason."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"So, this is Earth."  Dark Specter's gravelly voice could be heard nearby.  Through the fog of his weakness, Zordon, Morphin Master of Eltar, could detect a note of disgust in the lava monster's comment.  "Pathetic little rock."

"But one strong enough to push back even your forces," Zordon said, forcing his voice to sound stronger than he really felt.  His show of strength was rewarded with a fierce lance of pain shooting through his body.  With a groan, he fell to his knees.

"You forget who is your master now Zordon," the lava monster growled, stepping towards the tube which held Zordon prisoner.  "You will speak only when you are spoken to.  I need not touch you to inflict pain.  Remember that."

As if Zordon could ever forget.  The weakness he was forced to endure was a constant reminder of what Dark Specter had done to him.  With the psychic link that had been placed between them, Dark Specter was able to siphon off Zordon's life energy, something which Zordon had in abundance.  Without that link, the lava monster would have been able to do nothing except keep Zordon trapped within the confines of the time warp.

If he had been able to break free of that time warp, Zordon was sure that he would be able to break the connection and regain his strength.  As it was, the time warp was what amplified Dark Specter's abilities and thus, the link.  But the time was coming closer when the possibility of Zordon escaping his prison was becoming a certainty.  When he had been previously trapped in a time warp, Zordon had learned to manipulate the temporal energies within to his benefit.  He had been able to come up with some fairly accurate predictions for his Rangers, when he had still been their mentor.  Dimitria had ended up learning the same ability for use with the Turbo Rangers.

Now, he was again able to use the temporal energies to glimpse into possible futures.  He knew that Dark Specter knew nothing of this, or else he would have been moved into another type of cell long ago.  And what Zordon had been seeing lately would have sent Dark Specter into a rage.  Zordon knew that the time for the end of his entrapment was coming very soon.  Now, all he had to do was wait, and make certain that the possibility became a reality.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Here pretty Pink Cassie.  A few steps more.  Then, we can finally play."

From her place on top of the skyscraper, Ashley Hammond, the Yellow Psycho Ranger, watched as the Pink Astro Ranger made her way past Quantrons, coming ever so closer to the Yellow Psycho's specially reserved 'play' area.  Ashley had the square below her cleared out so that she could have some fun with the Pink Ranger.  She had ordered all her Quantrons to surround the area so that it wouldn't look like a trap, but to allow the Ranger through with minimal fuss.  

Ashley smiled as the Pink Ranger finally stepped into the square.  Cassie looked confused, whipping her head around, looking for any signs of enemies.  In a flash of dark yellow light, Ashley morphed herself into the Yellow Psycho Ranger.  As Cassie stopped in the middle of the cleared area, Ashley knew it was time to make her move.  With a graceful leap from the top of the building, she landed in front of the Pink Astro Ranger.

"Hello, old friend," Ashley purred, whipping out her daggers.  The sunlight reflected brightly off of the newly polished and sharpened blades.  Her weapons were sharp enough to cut through anything.  Just a little slice here and there, would turn that pretty pink body suit into a glorious shade of red.  Not exactly a Red Ranger, but certainly close enough.  It had been much too long since she had gotten to play with her Red Ranger.  It would be fun to make up another one.

Cassie moved cautiously, matching the Yellow Psycho step for step.  "Hello Ashley.  I was expecting to face you."

Ashley laughed.  "It wouldn't have been fun to go against anyone else."  She tilted her head, her tone becoming a sneer.  "So, you came in search of me, did you?  Trying to save me again?"

Cassie shook her head.  In response, her tone was quiet.  "No, not this time.  There are bigger things going on now."

"Yes, Mistress Cyndra's plans have finally come to fruition.  Isn't it wonderful?"  Ashley giggled, stretching her arms wide.  She decided to drop a bit of information she had just learned, just to see what Cassie's reaction would be.  "Now that Master Specter is here, she'll soon have this world under her control.  And I'll be by her side."

"What do you mean that Dark Specter is here?" demanded Cassie.  Ashley was pleased to note the slight panic in the Pink Ranger's voice.

"Exactly what I said Cassie dear," replied Ashley.  "He's finally come.  And with his power, Mistress Cyndra will be able to take over the world, once and for all!"

"This is your world too!" Cassie exclaimed, shock evident in her voice.  "Don't you care about it at all?"

"Hmmm, no."  Ashley tossed the dagger into the air.  Catching it, she tapped the blade against her helmet.  "Why should I?  This place will be better under the control of Cyndra, and Dark Specter."  

"I can't believe you'd say that!"  Cassie said.  "You...."

Ashley pointed a dagger at Cassie.  "Remember, you said you weren't going to try to save me."

"I wasn't," Cassie replied softly, shaking her head.  "I was just surprised to hear that you don't care about Earth anymore.  You really don't, do you?"

"Of course not," snorted Ashley.  "This miserable mudball means nothing to me.  I live for the glory of Cyndra and Dark Specter.  It's all I need.  If they decide to move me to another planet, I'll be just fine there too."  She chuckled.  "This is what true freedom is Cassie.  I don't have to worry about being hung up by restrictive emotions anymore."

Cassie shook her head.  "You just believe that because that's what your 'Mistress' wants you to believe Ashley.  Don't you have any thoughts anymore that don't come from Cyndra?  Or are you too much her lapdog now to even think for yourself?"

Ashley frowned.  She did not like where this conversation was going.  The time for talking was over.  "No more talking!" she snarled, positioning herself into a fighting stance.  "It's time to play."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Aboard the Dark Fortress, Cyndra, High Mage and Dark Specter's granddaughter, watched the various fights that were happening in the cities across Earth.  A frown crossed her face; the battle was not going as well as she had expected.  With the number of monsters and Quantrons she had sent down to the planet, Earth's defenses should have been overwhelmed.  Even with the help of the Power Rangers, there shouldn't have been any question of her victory.  Unfortunately, Cyndra hadn't counted on the Rangers receiving additional help.  Where those extra Power Rangers had come from, Cyndra had no idea.  But all this really meant was a delay in her plans.  There wasn't any reason why, with a few changes, Cyndra couldn't continue with her invasion of Earth.  She wasn't about to let a few measly humans get in her way.

Suddenly, an insistent beeping caught Cyndra's attention.  Turning her sapphire eyes towards one of the battles, she smiled as she spotted one Ranger, dressed in a black uniform, similar to the Phantom Ranger's, except this one had purple highlights.  The Ranger was carrying a weapon very familiar to Cyndra and she automatically knew who this Ranger had to be.  Making a swift decision, she immediately left the bridge, heading towards the inner recesses of the Dark Fortress.

It was in one of the inner alcoves that she found what she was looking for.  Standing together like statues were Ecliptor and the Red Ranger.  Cyndra knew that they would make the perfect bait for her old enemy.  She looked over Ecliptor, making sure that there wasn't any damage from the last time she had used him as a toy soldier.  He was a disappointment, unable to cope with the fact that she was his master.  All he was good for was being a glorified Quantron.

"Too bad," murmured Cyndra, "It would have been fun watching Astronema's reaction if you had been willing to work for me."

Now she looked over the Red Ranger.  He too was a disappointment.  Cyndra had worked for days, trying to find the cause of his insanity.  All he had kept mumbling about was 'silver' and 'red'.  Since she hadn't known what he was talking about, there had been nothing that she could do.  His insanity had made the Red Ranger extremely unstable and almost impossible to work with.  With him being so unstable, there hadn't been any choice but to take away his mind, like she had done with Ecliptor.

"Now we'll see if I can finally get some proper use out of you," she said, a smile on her face.  "I think its time that I send a little invitation to my old friend Astronema...."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Divatox, the Space Pirate Queen, walked down the dark hallways, making her way to the throne room of Dark Specter's ship, the Black Nova.  She had no idea why she had been summoned here.  She had already delivered the imprisoned Zordon to the lava monster, so there should have been no reason for him to summon her.  The Pirate Queen quickly went through all possibilities in her mind, but was unable to come up with anything.  There was nothing that she had done recently that would warrant a summons of any kind.  Dark Specter was not known for personally addressing his subjects, least of all, lowly soldiers that had no better use than carrying out simple tasks like guarding prisoners.

She entered the huge throne room, trying not to let the immense size of the place disturb her.  Dark Specter was a large being, even more so than his late brother, Maligore.  If she hadn't been thrown by Maligore's size and presence, there shouldn't be any reason why Dark Specter would have any affect on her.  At least, that's what the Pirate Queen kept telling herself as she approached the large altar, which held the throne in which sat the large figure of the leader of the United Alliance of Evil.

"Divatox."  

His voice sent a shiver through her, which she was determined not to show.  Dark Specter was a much different being than his brother, a fact that she had ignored until now.  There was a reason why Dark Specter had been able to control so many evil beings under the banner of the U.A.E., and that reason was showing itself very clearly to her now.  Dark Specter was truly evil incarnate; an evil being more powerful than any other in the universe.  Combine that with the fact that he was now using Zordon's also immense power, one could not help but fear this lava monster.

She fell to one knee, knowing that subservience was the only thing that Dark Specter would tolerate.  "Yes my Lord?  You summoned me?"

"Yes."

It was the only word he spoke before a sudden, sharp bolt of pain sliced through her.  If she hadn't already been on bent knee, she certainly would have fallen.  As it was, she fought fiercely not to collapse onto the floor.  She could barely lift her head up.  "Why.... why are you doing this to me?" she gasped, struggling against the pain, "I... I have always been a loyal solider...."

"What you've always been Divatox, is a fool." Dark Specter laughed, an odd sound from him.  "Do you really think I would keep you around once I no longer had need of you?  You are pathetic.  When I found you.... you were just a little girl playing at being a villainess.  You knew nothing about what it meant to be a true evil being.  I took you, molded you into the perfect warrior, even let you have my brother.  But what did you do with it all?  You wasted it!  Now, you are the same laughingstock that you once were."

"But, it wasn't my fault!" protested the Pirate Queen, her entire body shaking.  "It was those Rangers!  I did managed to destroy their base and take away their powers!"

"Yet you didn't finish the job Divatox," Dark Specter pointed out.  "You are just like the others before you, Rita, Zedd, Mondo....  Despite their previous successes, none of them had what it took to conquer this planet, much less the rest of the universe.  Very few have that knowledge.  Even fewer have the skill."  He shook his head, "It was too much to think that you would be one of those few.  So now, you will be eliminated like the rest."

Divatox looked up at Dark Specter.  His image swam before her eyes.  "You.... you killed them?"  She thought of the villains who had been here before her.  None of them would have been powerful enough to withstand any attack from Dark Specter.

The lava monster grunted.  "That would have been a waste of my time and energy.  What I did to them was far more amusing.  You, like the rest, shall truly become my slave.  What will be eliminated is your incompetent personality.  In place, I will have someone perfectly capable of leading a charge against a planet."

Divatox knew that Dark Specter was telling the truth.  It felt as if she was being pushed into a dark corner of her mind, while something else was being layered over her.  The pain of the process was almost unbearable; it was all Divatox could do not to scream.  Suddenly, agony stopped.  Wondering what Dark Specter was up to, she tried to look at him, but found that she couldn't.  Her body wasn't responding!

"Stand," Dark Specter ordered.  Unwillingly, Divatox found her body obeying the command.  "You are to go to Aquitar and begin laying siege to that planet.  Zordon is to be left here with me.  Is that understood?"

"Yes Master," Divatox found herself saying.

Dark Specter chuckled.  "Good.  You see Divatox, this is what I meant by competence.  I'm sure you'll be learning many valuable things, watching how your betters actually conquer a planet.  You may go."

Divatox's body bowed towards Dark Specter.  Then, with all the precision of a soldier, marched smartly out of the room.  If she could have, Divatox would have immediately slit Dark Specter's throat for doing this to her.  As it was, all she could was watch as her body was used as a tool for Dark Specter's campaign.  But while watching, she would also wait.  Because, sooner or later, there would be a chance for her to free herself.  And once she did, Dark Specter would no longer be safe from her wrath.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Katherine Hilliard sighed as she watched the viewing monitor of the Astro Megaship.  On the screen were the various battles that were happening on Earth.  The trap that Trini had sent down to the Rangers; the number of Quantrons and monsters was going down visibly.  But it was hard to stay optimistic when all you could do was stand around and wait.  Katherine drummed her fingers against the computer panel.  

She looked over at Jason and Trini, who were talking together in low voices.  She envied them; they had each other to rely on during this crisis.  There wasn't anyone like that in her life anymore.  Katherine shook her head, refusing to let herself get into a depressed state.  She knew how easy it was to fall into that trap, and how hard it was to get out once in.

She had to stay busy.  Even if it was something small, she could keep herself busy with whatever needed to be done.  It was easier to do that, rather than think.  It was what she had continued to do these last few months, ever since her breakup with Tommy.  _There I go again, thinking about that.  I have to stop thinking about it!  There's got to be something for me to do!_  But, there really wasn't much left to do here, was there?  Katherine realized that whatever was left, Trini and Jason could easily take care of, without her help.  In fact, they had everything under control.  But why was she thinking of these things?  Didn't she want to stay on board, where she could stay busy?  

_No, I don't want to stay here anymore._  Katherine's blue eyes wandered across the viewing monitor, watching as her friends fought.  _Sooner or later, the Morphin' powers will give out.  Then, they'll have nothing more than their own skills to rely on.  I should be down there too.  I can fight.  I can help.  What I can't do, is stay here._  Finally, Katherine saw a familiar place, somewhere she wanted to go: Angel Grove.  Without another thought, she headed towards the exit.

"Kat!  Where are you going?"  Katherine turned around to see that Jason and Trini were looking at her strangely.  She winced inwardly; she had forgotten about them.

"You guys have things well in hand here," she said, "I'm going to help with things down in Angel Grove."  Trini and Jason looked shocked.

"Are you sure?" asked Trini, a frown forming on her face.

Katherine nodded.  "I'm sure."  She paused, unsure how to say her next words.  "Look, we really don't need the three of us up here.  And... I'll feel more useful down there.  Please, just let me go."

Jason and Trini glanced at each other, then back at her.  Jason sighed.  "We obviously can't stop you if you want to go."

"Thank you," Katherine said.  With that, she tapped two fingers to her communicator, allowing it to teleport her in a stream of pink-white light.

"Good luck Kat."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

_Where am I?_

It was a question Astronema had to ask as she found herself surrounded by darkness and echoing silence.  The Amethyst Ranger had been battling Quantrons on Earth when she had suddenly been teleported away.  She knew of only one person who want to do that to her: Cyndra. But why the mage wanted her now, Astronema had no idea.

Quickly, Astronema lit herself a ball of magelight, letting it glow a few centimeters away from her.  Unfortunately, the light revealed nothing, only an empty room, with seemingly no way out.  But the walls looked familiar.  As Astronema stepped forward to touch them, she realized that they felt familiar too.  Now, she knew where she was.  She had spent a good portion of her life living in this place.  She was inside the Dark Fortress.  Astronema wasn't sure which of the rooms she had been placed in, but it looked like one of the prisoner cells.  From the energy that was being emitted from the walls, there was a magical shield around the cell, preventing her from escaping.  

"Hello Astronema, my old friend."  The voice was silken, like an angel, but with a deadly, harsh edge.  As it spoke, the room was suddenly flood with bright light.  

Astronema turned around to look at Cyndra.  She almost gasped as she saw who was standing beside the mage: Ecliptor and Zhane.  But she couldn't let them distract her.  She turned her focus back upon Cyndra.  "I was never your friend Cyndra.  Even when I worked for your grandfather, you were hardly my favorite person."

"Aw, I'm hurt," Cyndra mock pouted.  She sneered at the Amethyst Ranger, her sapphire eyes taking in the uniform.  "So, you're a pretty little Ranger now.  How pathetic.  I always told grandfather that you didn't have a drop of evil in your veins.  And seeing as how you so quickly assimilated to the other side, it's obvious that I was right."

Astronema shook her head.  "Maybe I never was evil to begin with.  Do you really think I care about that anymore?"  She pointed her staff, which had appeared in her hands the moment Cyndra had spoken, at Ecliptor and Zhane.  "All I care about right now, is them.  Release them Cyndra, or else."

Cyndra laughed.  "Or else what?  You're no match for me!"

"Why don't we find out?" Astronema challenged, her staff now glowing with an ethereal purple light.

"You know, on second thought..."  Cyndra's voice trailed off as she looked at Ecliptor.  She gazed back at Astronema.  "Why not let you have him?  I certainly don't need him anymore.  He isn't anything more than a glorified Quantron."

"What?  You'll actually release him?" Astronema was confused.  Cyndra was never generous.  What the hell was the mage up to?

Cyndra shrugged.  "Yes."  She made a flicking motion at the black warrior.  Slowly, Ecliptor began walking towards Astronema.  "There you go, happy?  I'll release him from the compulsion once he reaches you."

Astronema was speechless.  She truly had never thought that Cyndra was allow any of her 'possessions' to leave her hands willingly.  She reached out a hand towards Ecliptor, hoping to touch him sooner.  This was the moment that she had been dreaming about ever since Cyndra had taken over the Dark Fortress.  All she had ever really wanted was to have Ecliptor free of Cyndra's spells.  Now, that moment was slowly drawing near....

Suddenly, Ecliptor stopped.  Before Astronema realized what was happening, his body began to shake.  Before she could do anything, Ecliptor's body crumbled into dust.  With a wordless sound of horror, Astronema looked at Cyndra.  The mage-bitch was laughing.

"Did I forget to mention that the spell I put on him was a leash spell?"  Cyndra's sapphire eyes were full of amusement.  "That, once he got a certain distance away from me, he would die?"  She looked down at the pile of dust that was now between her and Astronema.  "Oops, I guess I forgot."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The call had been sent out to all of the Rangers: the Earth's forces were winning.  Thanks to Billy's trapping device, and the help of the world militaries, the number of Quantrons and monsters on Earth was going down at a magnificent rate.  Some cities had already been cleared out completely.  The Power Rangers had even managed to double up in some areas, where the concentration of foot soldiers had been especially high. 

_It's amazing what the people of this planet can do._  Carlos smiled to himself as he pounded another Quantron to the ground.  _With all the animosity humans can display at times, it surprises me when they come togther in this show of solidarity.  You almost wouldn't recognize them.....  _That thought made Carlos think of his father, the monster now known as Darkonda.

Amazingly, Darkonda was currently fighting against the Black Psycho Ranger.  Never once, had Carlos thought that his father, of all people, would be helping to fight creations of evil.  Darkonda was a con, a murderer and an agent of Dark Specter's; there was no advantage for him to be fighting alongside the Rangers.  At least, there wasn't any advantage that Carlos could see.  He still couldn't help but think that maybe there was some ulterior motive that he hadn't yet spotted.  After all, why else would Darkonda be here.  It certainly couldn't be for some father-son bonding thing.....

He used his Lunar Lance to whip some Quantrons away from him.  It had been over a millennia since he had last seen his father.  Why did Darkonda choose now to appear?  The questions continued to plague Carlos' mind.  He didn't have an answer to any of them.  The only person who could give them those answers was Darkonda himself.

Finally, with the last Quantron destroyed, he made his way to where Darkonda was fighting against the Black Psycho.  Neither looked good, having obviously pounded hard each other.  Carlos quickly stepped into the fray, using all his skill and energy against Cyndra's creature.  The Black Psycho was no match against the father-son team, soon falling to his knees, and exploding.

Carlos sighed as he watched the Black Psycho destroyed.  "Well, that's another one down."  He looked over at Darkonda.  "Thanks for your help."  He turned to leave.

"Wait Solrac!" Darkonda gasped out, holding his chest.

Carlos turned around.  "What?  I don't have time for this Darkonda.  There are other places on this planet that need my help."

"I know.... I know," Darkonda answered quietly.  "Please, all I'm asking for is some time.  I didn't know that Dark Specter's forces were going to move so quickly.  After all this is over... can we talk?"

Carlos laughed incredulously.  "You came here, just to ask me that?  Are you insane?  This is a war zone, and all you want to have is a father-son bonding talk?  I don't believe it....  You think I'll fall for the same trick twice?"  Carlos shook his head.  "Stay the hell away from me old man.  I mean it."  With that, the Black Ranger held up his hand.  "Galaxy Glider, Hang Ten!"  The black hoverboard appeared in the air.  Carlos jumped on it.

"Solrac!"  Darkonda shouted.

Carlos ignored the plea.  Darkonda had tricked him once, and it had nearly destroyed his family.  There was no way that he would talk to that monster ever again.  He heard the voice grow faint as he flew away.  Carlos closed his eyes, for a moment wondering if he had done the right thing.  But the memories of what had been done to his family resurfaced, having been buried for so many years.  But now they were as vivid as if the event had happened yesterday.

"No, I will not be tricked again," Carlos murmured to himself.  As he continued to fly away, he knew that he had seen the last of his father, forever.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Astronema couldn't let herself think of what Cyndra had just done.  There was no time, not now.  Later.  Much later.  She shoved her emotions aside, as she had always done, and stood up to face her enemy.  "Release Zhane and Ashley," she commanded, her voice dropping to a harsh whisper.

Cyndra tilted her head, regarding the Ranger as if she was some sort of insect.  "I wonder what your tin man would think if he knew you had so little regard for him.  After all, here he was, destroyed before your very eyes, and yet, all you care about two people you hardly even know."  She smirked.  "I didn't think you had it in you to be so... cold.  Maybe you truly have the heart of evil after all."

"Shut up!" Astronema shouted, wishing that she could just blast the mage with her staff.  But she couldn't, not until she got Cyndra to remove her control over the Red and Yellow Psycho Rangers.  She was glad of the helmet that covered her face; it kept hidden the hot tears that threaten to spill over from her eyes.  "Just shut the hell up!"  She pointed her staff at Cyndra.  "All I want, is for you to let them go."

"Really, is that all?" asked Cyndra, looking at her curiously.  She smirked.  "You willing to risk them, just like you risked the life of your precious tin man?"

"You used a different spell on them," Astronema explained, having detected the energies in Zhane.  "I might not be a High Mage, but I'm a mage all the same.  I already had those two under my control before you stole them away.  I know you had to use a different spell on them to take away my control.  My spell no longer holds them, so its only yours that is left.  And I can tell you don't have any others on Zhane."

"Smart girl," Cyndra sneered.

"What, is it all too much for you to do old hag?" Astronema asked, in her most condescending tone.

Cyndra narrowed her eyes.  "Do not think of challenging me Astronema dear.  You've already seen exactly what I can do."  She looked thoughtful for a moment.  "Are you really certain that you want this?"

"Of course I am," Astronema answered.  She pointed her staff at Astronema.  "Release them now, or I turn you to dust."

"Please," laughed Cyndra, "If you were going to 'turn me to dust', you would have already done it.  But you know that my spell won't be released with my death, which is why you need me to release the two Rangers first.  Do think before you make threats Astronema dear.  After all, its really best to know exactly what you are asking for....."

In a sudden fluid motion, Cyndra raised her hands towards the ceiling.  A glowing blue ball formed between her palms, creating a glowing aura around her.  She looked at Astronema with a knowing smile on her face, as if she knew something that the Amethyst Ranger didn't.  It worried Astronema, that Cyndra was complying so neatly like this, especially considering how quickly she had killed off......

"_Iriala!_" shouted Cyndra.  Astronema recognized the word from an ancient language; it's meaning somewhere along the lines of freedom.

The blue light left Cyndra's hands, splitting into two.  One of the balls of light vanished, presumably it was heading in Ashley's direction on Earth.  The other sped towards Zhane, completely surrounding him.  The Red Psycho Ranger screamed as the shadows within him were sucked out by the light.  As suddenly as it had started, it stopped.  Zhane was now silent.  He remained standing where he was.  Slowly, he reached up to his helmet.  Undoing the clasps, he removed the headgear and threw it aside.

He didn't look like the man Astronema remembered.  His dark hair had become white-blond.  His black eyes had now lightened to a remarkable blue.  For a moment, Astronema saw herself, Andros and Zhane, as children, playing together on Kerova.  They had all looked so happy and peaceful together.  

_And we will be together once again._  In a sudden realization, Astronema realized that was what she now wanted.  She wanted to know this man, the one that she had corrupted without thought.  She wanted to spend a lifetime making up for what she had done, not only to him, but to all of the people she had harmed.  It was time for her to come to terms with her life when she had been the Princess of Evil, and repay her sins as the Amethyst Ranger.

Zhane looked wildy at the two women.  Astronema immediately saw that he didn't recognize her in her Amethyst Ranger suit.  Instead, his eyes focused on Cyndra.  The look in his eyes told Astronema that he was not sane.

_He wouldn't be sane, not with the sudden loss of Cyndra's control.  It was too much of a shock, combined with the power drains from the Red and Silver Astro Powers, and the Red Psycho ones!  He's been attached to the three different powers for too long.  And... Cyndra knew it!  She knew what this would do to him!_  Astronema couldn't believe the bitch had tricked her again....  _How could I have been so naive?_

"You!" Zhane screamed.  A savage cry ripped from his throat.  He ran towards her, his blade poised to strike.

Astronema and Cyndra both made moves to stop him.  The Amethyst Ranger knew very well what was going to happen if she didn't stop him first.  But it was too late.  With a mere gesture from Cyndra, the Red Psycho Ranger stopped dead in his tracks.  His eyes now stared blankly at them.  Astromena looked at Cyndra; a fear growing within her as she saw the amused expression on the other woman's face.

"You wouldn't..." Astronema whispered, her hands clenching her staff.  But in the back of her mind, she knew very well what Cyndra could do.

Cyndra turned to look at her, almost as if she had forgotten that the Amethyst Ranger had been there.  She smirked.  "Remember what I used to do with your toys Astronema?"  Cyndra's eyes glowed as she looked back at the Red Psycho Ranger.  She held her hand out, closing it into a tight fist.  In response, the blade dropped from Zhane's hands, as he clawed wildly at his throat.  

Astronema didn't stop to think.  All she knew was that she had to save Zhane.  She couldn't let what had happened to Ecliptor, happen to Zhane.  She pointed her staff at Cyndra, and let loose with an energy beam, more powerful than anything she had ever done before.  But just before the purple stream hit the mage, Cyndra whispered one word.  Zhane immediately crumpled to the floor.  

"No!" Astronema cried out, watching as Zhane's life aura floated from the body.  In a desperate attempt, she tried using her magic to summon back the spirit.  But she was out of power, having already used it all in that one blast.  The life aura continued its journey up through the ceiling, into space, hopefully on its way to a peaceful place.

There was a quiet chuckle nearby.  Barely able to move her head, Astronema turned to look at the source of the offending sound.  In a pile of debris was Cyndra, looking more broken and beaten than Astronema had ever seen her.  Yet, the bitch was still managing to laugh.

"I win," Cyndra said through her chuckles, "I win."  She closed her eyes and smiled.  "One less Ranger to plague me.  One of your toys gone."

"You're pretty much near death yourself, you old hag," Astronema replied, using her staff to prop herself up.  "So why don't you just shut the hell up."

Cyndra opened her eyes.  The sapphire pools stared at Astronema.  "Death?  Me?" She laughed quietly once again, "Do you really think that one little blast would have done anything to me?  This is just a temporary setback Astronema dear.  Don't worry, I will be back."  With a snap of her fingers, Cyndra suddenly vanished.  All that remained was her taunting laughter echoing around Astronema.  

"Damn you Cyndra!" she shouted, finally falling to her knees in exhaustion.  Her eyes fell upon Zhane's body.  Slowly, she crawled to it.  Once she reached it, she cradled his head in her lap.  "I'm sorry Zhane.  I'm sorry...."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"No....  No!!"  Those were the words that TJ heard when he came to the area where Marie was fighting.  He stared in shock as he watched Marie use her blaster to destroy all the Quantrons in sight.  He had never seen the Gold Ranger act with such ferocity.  Even without his help, the number of foot soldiers was dropping rapidly.  By now, the metallic minions were getting the idea that running away was a good idea.  What usually would have been amusement turned to worry as he watched the last of the Quantrons leave the area.  He was about to go after them, but was stopped as he watched Marie suddenly fall to her knees.  Her hands grasped wildly at the clasps on her helmet as she tried to force them apart.

"Marie?  What's going on?" he asked, coming beside her. 

"Zhane...." she whispered, finally getting her helmet off.  "He's gone!"

TJ was shocked.  "What?  What do you mean he's gone?"

Marie looked up at the Blue Ranger.  "I felt him die.  He.... He's dead TJ.  He's dead."

"I'm sorry."  TJ couldn't think of anything else to say.  "Marie....."

Marie suddenly looked up at the Blue Ranger, tears in her eyes.  "Just what the hell was this all for?  Zhane is dead!!"  She looked away from TJ.  "It....  It was all for nothing."

"No, it wasn't," TJ replied, "We're fighting evil.  We're helping to save the world."

"I don't give a damn about the world!!" Marie shouted, her emerald eyes blazing.  "I don't care anymore!!  I don't!!  I...."  Her voice dropped to a whisper.  "I just want Zhane back...."

"And do you really think that Zhane would want to see you like this?" TJ demanded.  He knew he had to get Marie out of this bout of self-pity immediately.  Later she would be able to mourn, but there wasn't time for it, not now.  "He was a Ranger, just like us.  He knew the risks.  If he hadn't, he never would have fought with you on Kerova!"

"This is just too much," Marie said, not really hearing what TJ was saying.  "I've mourned them too often."  Her voice was breaking.  "I can't do it again.  We were all supposed to be together.  But we can't, not anymore."

"Damn," muttered TJ.  Marie wasn't going to be a help to anyone in this state.  He slapped his hand on his communicator.  "Megaship!  Alpha, anyone, please respond!"

"Yes TJ?"  Alpha's voice came through.

"I need you to teleport Marie to the med bay right away," TJ said.

"Right away, but why?" asked Alpha.

"She's in shock.  I think she had some sort of connection to Zhane.  Says she felt him die."  The last words came out in a whisper. 

"Oh no!" exclaimed Alpha, "Ay, yi, yi!"

"Have someone ready in the med bay with something to sedate her," TJ advised, "I think she'll need it."

"Yes TJ," replied Alpha, "Teleporting, now."  TJ saw the Gold Ranger vanish away in a stream of gold-colored light.

"Thanks Alpha," the Blue Ranger said.  "How are the others doing?"  TJ hoped that everything was going well.  Right now, all the Rangers were doing was playing catch up to Cyndra's forces.  It was taking everything the Rangers had in order to keep the battle from being truly spread across the globe.  If they didn't stop Cyndra and her grandfather now, TJ knew that they never would.

"The battles are going as well as can be expected TJ," Trini's voice answered.  "The number of Quantrons has gone down, and some of the monsters have now been destroyed too.  We've been able to do a bit more doubling up for some of the major areas.  But even with the militaries helping, there still aren't enough people free to make any sort of strike against Dark Specter's ship."

TJ sighed.  He knew that he couldn't have expected any other news.  "At least no more monsters have been sent down."

"Yes, that's true," Trini replied, her voice sounding as tired as TJ's.  "Jason went to the med bay when we heard about Marie.  I'm checking up on Andros now too.  There's also another thing.  We still haven't been able to track down Astronema.  I don't think she's on Earth anymore."

"Dammit," TJ said.  "Then she's either on Dark Specter's ship, or...."

"The Dark Fortress," supplied Trini.  There was a pause, as there was beeping going on in the background.  "This is weird.  DECA just registered some sort of explosion coming from the Dark Fortress."

"Was it Astronema?" asked TJ, hoping that if it was, the Amethyst Ranger was alright.

"I don't know," Trini answered.  "Wait, I'm receiving a message....  Oh my God!  This is it!"  Trini's voice became high with excitement.  "This is it!"

"Trini, calm down," TJ said, "What are you talking about?"

"The message, it was from Astronema," Trini reported, her voice by no means calm.  "She's somehow taken over the Dark Fortress.  She's reporting that... Zhane is dead, but everyone, and everything in there is now under her command.  TJ, she says that we can use the Dark Fortress to infiltrate Dark Specter's ship."

"We can?" TJ asked, not believing what he had just heard.  "This means...."

"This means, that we actually have a chance of rescuing Zordon."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The time was drawing near.  His heavy eyelids fluttered open.  Yes, as he looked upon the shadows that surrounded him, he could see that many possibilities had vanished, leaving only a few behind.  Those few told him what his destiny would be.  All showed that he would escape this time trap.  Only one showed that he would leave this ship alive.  But he had beaten the odds before.  He would simply bide his time, as he had for so long.  When the time came, he would do what he had to do.  Even if it meant, his death.


	11. The Final Sacrifice

**Disclaimer:** _The characters of Power Rangers do not belong to me.  The characters of Marie Fox and Cyndra belong to Greeneyes._

**Author's Notes: **_First off, I apologize for taking so long with this chapter.  I hope that you'll find it's been worth the very long wait.  ^_^  This is the end, except for the epilogue.  Thanks for staying with me during this project.  Enjoy!!_

**The Final Sacrifice**

**By: Jade Daniels**

He had failed.  His one chance of regaining his son's trust was now gone.  Solrac didn't want anything to do with him.  The man simply didn't trust his father, and never would.  Darkonda could understand why his son had turned away from him.  Solrac's words still rang in his ears:  "_You think I'll fall for the same trick twice?"_  He had been a fool to forget how he had lured Solrac away the first time, back when he had truly been an agent for Dark Specter.  

No, I hadn't truly forgotten.  I just didn't **want** to remember.  I was a fool to believe that Solrac would ever forget what I did… and maybe even forgive me for it.

***Flashback***

_It was a new day.  Darkonda, newly created being and servant of Dark Specter, watched the sun dip lower into the horizon.  The cooling air brushed against his scarred skin, but he barely felt it, so focused he was on his mission.  He had summoned a man by the name of Solrac to this place.  Solrac had been his son, or rather, had been the son of Doshar.  Doshar was who he had been, before Dark Specter had remade him into this new and better creation._

_"Father?"  The breeze carried the soft voice to his ears.  Footsteps treaded up behind him, yet Darkonda did not turn around.  _

_"Father?"  The voice came again, this time with a little worry.  Darkonda smiled to himself.  He turned around.  Yes, this was the one whom he had summoned.  Tall, with dark brown skin.  Long black hair, tied into a ponytail.  A young face, but with dark eyes that betrayed his age, as was with all the long-lived races.  This was Solrac._

_Solrac gasped, obviously horrified by the scarred figure that stood before him.  "Father!  What.... what did Dark Specter do to you?"_

_Darkonda laughed.  "My master made me better little boy.  He made me into a being of superior power!  He trusted me enough for this mission...."_

_"What are you talking about?" demanded Solrac.  "Mission?  What mission?"_

_Darkonda laughed again.  "You are a trusting fool.... son.  You leave your family alone..."_

_Solrac turned around, looking back at the village he had just left.  "No!!  Kahva!  Synda!"  The man who had been his son ran, but Darkonda knew that by the time he reached the village, he would be too late._

***End Flashback***

Solrac's wife had survived the attack, but the child, Synda, had not.  Darkonda clenched his fists, slamming them against the computer panel of his ship.  Was it any wonder that his son hated him?

"And now I've lost my son forever," he murmured.

A voice crept out from the surrounding shadows.  "Well, isn't that a shame?"

Darkonda turned around to see Cyndra remove herself from the shadows.  He gasped as he took in her appearance.   The dark mage's usually flawless skin was now riddled with angry red lines and livid purple bruises.  Her golden hair hung lifeless around her face.  Her armour had a large black burn mark at the centre of her chest.  What had happened to her?

Cyndra smirked, obviously noting his reaction.  She stepped closer to him.  "Not a pretty sight am I?  Well, there's not much I can do about that right now."  She brushed her hair away from her face.  "Right now, I have to leave.  The Rangers have by now taken over the Dark Fortress.  Once my grandfather finds out, my life won't be worth anything."

"And you wish to take my ship, Lady Cyndra?" Darkonda inquired, remembering that he was supposed to act subservient towards this woman.

"Precisely," she replied, a smile forming from her cracked lips.

"Your wish is my command, Lady Cyndra," Darkonda bowed low, wondering how he could get out of this situation.  The last thing he needed was Cyndra taking his ship!

"Hmmm, is it?"  Cyndra's tone was questioning, laced with amusement.  Darkonda looked up at her with surprise.  "Do you really wish to do my bidding Darkonda?"

"What do you mean?" Darkonda asked, stepping back.  If Cyndra actually knew the truth of his condition....

Cyndra tilted her head.  "I mean, that, isn't it incredibly convenient that you remained in orbit, just so that I would be able to take your ship?  After all, your business with me should have been concluded ages ago."

"I.... I wished to see the results of my sale to you Lady," Darkonda answered quickly.

"Please!" scoffed Cyndra.  "I was here, on the ship, for quite a long time before you came back Darkonda.  I had been thinking of using use to pilot this little craft.  Then, I got to wondering why you had stayed for so long.  So, I took the liberty of going through a few of your files.  Can you imagine my surprise when I found out that your son is actually one of the Astro Power Rangers?"  She continued to walk closer to him.  "You were searching for him."  Her eyes narrowed.  "Obviously, my grandfather's conditioning no longer works on you."

Darkonda knew that it was time to drop all pretence.  "So you've found me out.  What are you going to do?  You're in no condition to do anything Cyndra.  And you said it yourself, if you go back to granddaddy now, he'll kill you.  Or worse."

Cyndra shrugged.  "True, I can't go back to my grandfather, at least, not until I find a way to get back into his good graces."  Her sapphire eyes sparkled.  "And I think I know exactly where to start."  Without warning, a dagger appeared in Cyndra's hand.  Quicker than he would have thought possible, Cyndra whipped her hand through the air.  He barely felt the blade slice through his throat.

Darkonda gagged, pressing his hands against the wound.  He could feel the warm fluid that was his blood flow over his fingers.  _No!  It can't end like this!  Now I'll never be able to tell Solrac…. _ As he fell to his knees, he looked up at his murderer.  She smiled as she looked down at him.  He knew he had little time left.  There was one last thing that he could do.  Removing one hand from around his throat, he pressed his blood soaked fingers upon his gauntlet, activating his remote computer.  He spoke two words into it.  "Send, now."  His final task complete, Darkonda barely heard Cyndra's last words as his world faded into darkness.

"Goodbye, traitor."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"So, what do we have?" asked TJ as he stepped on board the bridge of the Astro Megaship.  Touching his morpher, he demorphed with a brief flash of blue light.  He looked around, seeing Trini and Alpha, both busy making preparations for the mission to rescue Zordon. 

Trini looked up from her seat at one of the computer stations.  She let out a deep breath.  "Well, first off, anyone who is on Earth will have to stay there.  Despite the decrease in numbers, there are still Quantrons and monsters running around.  The military just can't handle them all by themselves.  We've been lucky so far that no one has really been affected by their use of the damaged morphers.  Tommy had a near miss, but he managed to finish the monsters he was facing.  Kim Rocky, and Aisha are all okay.  Same with Justin.  Tanya's helping Adam and Zack is helping Billy.  I wish there was more we could do; unfortunately, Astronema can't do anything about the monsters or the Quantrons.  Since it was Cyndra that sent down the monsters in the first place, only she can control them.  She did say though, that she might be able to do something about the Quantrons."

TJ brightened a bit at that news, "Good, we'll get her working on that until I can get a team set up on the Dark Fortress.  What else?"

Trini shook her head.  "Nothing else at the moment.  Astronema's waiting for your orders to teleport whoever to the Dark Fortress."

"Alright," TJ said.  "Open up communications with Astronema.  Let's get this rescue going!"

Trini tapped a few buttons on the computer panel.  Immediately, the main screen flared to life as Astronema's face appeared.  TJ was shocked to see the stony coldness in Astronema's eyes; despite the fact that he knew both Zhane and Ecliptor were dead.  Ecliptor had been a big part of Astronema's life and the reason why Astronema had joined the Rangers in the first place.

TJ sighed, biting back a concerned question about her welfare.  Astronema's emotionless state was not a good sign.  He knew that the Amethyst Ranger would have to talk about what happened sooner or later.  But right now….  _It's the same that happened with Marie.  It'll have to be dealt with later.  We're at a critical point in this battle.  We may not get another chance to rescue Zordon, and take down Dark Specter.  When this is over…._  

He clenched his fists, knowing that when this was over, it was possible not everyone would come back.  He wondered how many more people would be dying on his watch.  Zhane… Ecliptor.  Even if he had only known them both as enemies, they had been friends of his friends.  TJ could only hope that everyone here now would make it through.

"Astronema I'll need you to teleport me and Billy…."

"I'm coming too," spoke another voice.  All heads turned to find Marie standing at the doorway.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

When Marie regained consciousness, she found herself on board the Med Bay of the Astro Megaship.  She silently thanked TJ for having her teleported here.  She had been in no condition earlier to do anything, much less fighting.  Hearing someone coming, she sat herself up on the bed she was on.  To her surprise, she found Jason walking in, supporting Andros at his side.

Jason looked at her.  Reading the question in her eyes, he explained.  "He's going through the same shock that you did."

Marie nodded.  "Yes, he would be."  She saw Jason looking at her curiously and felt that she had to explain.  "Kerovians are a mind-powered race.  Most of us are born with at least some sort of mind-power: telepathy, telekinesis, that sort of thing.  Zhane, Andros and I all had telepathy.  Because we were Rangers, we developed, what we call a mind-bond.  It's a telepathic link that allowed us to sense where the others were.  But when Zhane died...."  Her voice dropped to a whisper.

"When Zhane died, you felt it," Jason supplied.  He had finished putting Andros to bed.  Coming to her side, he laid a hand on her shoulder.  "For what its worth, I'm sorry."

Marie smiled weakly.  "Thank you."  Jason nodded and moved away.  Marie knew that it was hard for him, or any of the others to imagine what she and Andros were going through.  It wasn't that they had never lost someone close to them, but it was the fact that Earth people had no such thing as mind-bonds.  

_There's such an emptiness.... An echo where Zhane's presence used to be.  I never felt like this when the others died on Kerova.  That's probably why I never knew that Zhane and Andros were still alive.  But now, when Zhane died, it was like something was ripped from my heart.      What the hell happened?_

*_I wish I knew Marie,_* Andros' voice came gently into her mind.  She looked over at him, surprised that he had recovered so quickly.

*_Are you okay?_* she asked.  If he had regained consciousness too quickly, he might have hurt himself.  That was the last thing that she wanted.

*_Yes,_* he replied, not moving much on his bed, *_Don't worry.  I'm not in any danger right now.  I wasn't unconscious for as long as you were.  I think I came back faster than you did because I'm no longer attached to the Astro Powers._*

_*Yes, that makes sense,*_ she nodded.  Marie looked away from him, unable to hold back her feelings any longer.  She swallowed hard, trying to rid herself of the hard lump that had formed in her throat.  Hot tears continued to pour relentlessly down her face.  Wiping them away didn't help.  In the last few moments, her whole world had been ripped apart.  She had already lost so many of her family and friends.  And Andros hadn't been on Kerova.  He didn't know….

*_I do know Marie._* Andros' voice came again. *_I went back home after I was healed on Ithta.  I saw everything that Dark Specter did to our people.  I grieved too Marie.  Don't think that you're alone in this._*

She reached her arm out from her bed, seeing that he was doing the same.  Their fingers brushed, before their hands met, clasping each other in a desperate hold.  His eyes had opened and were now looking into hers.  Marie smiled, sniffling.  "Thanks Andros," she whispered aloud.

Another pair of footsteps walked into the med bay, interrupting the conversation and forcing the two Kerovians apart.  Marie's gasped as she saw Cassie walk in, with the Yellow Psycho Ranger practically draped over her.  Andros sat himself up; watching as Cassie, with help from Jason, set Ashley upon the last available bed. 

"What happened to her?"  Jason asked as he began performing scans on the Yellow Ranger.

Cassie snapped off her helmet.  She shook her head, letting loose her long black hair.  "I don't know.  One minute, we're fighting, the next, she just collapses.  Since I had the chance, I brought her here."  Turning away from Ashley, her eyes widened as she noticed Andros on the opposite bed.

"Andros!"  The Pink Ranger rushed to her beloved's side.  "What happened?"

Andros held Cassie's hands.  He smiled weakly.  "I'm alright Cass.  It's just that, we found out that Zhane's dead."  He took a deep breath.  "It was the mind-bond.  The backlash caused Marie and I to go into a mental shock.  We're both okay now.  You don't have to worry."

Cassie let out a sigh of relief.  "Oh, I'm so glad!  After what happened to Ash, I thought something was spreading."  She looked at Jason.  "Ash _is_ okay, right?"

Jason nodded.  "Yeah, her vital signs are stable for now."  He paused, looking at the three of them.  "Look, I've got some news to tell you, since you three are here.  You already know that Zhane is dead.  The other news is that Astronema has managed to take over the Dark Fortress.  TJ is going to use it to rescue Zordon.  Billy and Astronema are going with him."

"Wait, what?" demanded Marie.  "How did Astronema get control of the Dark Fortress?  And what about Cyndra?"  There were so many questions she wanted answered.  

"I don't know what happened to her," Jason replied with a shake of his head, "Trini couldn't give me all of the details.  If you want…"

Marie suddenly hopped off of her bed, stopping Jason mid-sentence.  "Well, TJ should be on the bridge by now.  I can get the rest of the details from him."

"Whoa wait, Marie, what are you doing?"  Jason grabbed her arm as she headed out of the Med Bay.  "You're still weak.  You're in no condition to go on a mission, especially one to the Black Nova!"

"Let me go Jason!"  She tried to wrench her arm from his grasp.  "I'm fine!"  She saw the doubt in his eyes.  "You're not going to stop me.  This is something I have to do."  She glanced over at Andros, then back at the ex-Ranger.  "For Zhane, for Andros and for me.  And I'm not letting Billy go on that ship without me."

"Jason, let her go."  Andros' voice was quiet.  The Phantom Ranger looked at Marie.  "I know you.  And I know that you won't rest easy until you are put on this mission.  Believe me Jason, it's better if you let her go."

Jason shook his head.  "You're both crazy."  He looked at both of the Kerovians.  With a long sigh, he let go of Marie's arm.  "But I can relate.  I would go through fire and hell to help my friends.  Who am I to deny your right to help yours?  But be careful Marie.  I don't think Andros here, nor Billy especially would be happy with me if something happened to you."

Despite herself, Marie blushed at Jason's comment.  "Thank you."  With that, she headed towards the bridge, coming just in time to hear TJ list off the people who were going on the rescue mission.

"I'm coming too."  All heads turned to look at her.

"No way," was TJ's immediate answer.  "You're in no condition to be doing this Marie."

Marie lifted her chin up, a tactic she always found useful when she wanted her own way.  "I don't know what you're talking about.  I'm perfectly fine.  Jason wouldn't have let me out of the Med Bay if I wasn't, right?"

TJ looked into her eyes, disbelief written in his own.  "Marie, despite what you think, you're not fine.  I saw you out there on the battlefield.  You're still in shock from Zhane's death.  I can't have a compromised Ranger on this mission."

"Compromised?"  She crossed her arms, trying not to betray the weakness she truly felt.  There was no way that she was going to be left out of this mission.  "I already told you.  I'm fine."

"Marie, are you sure you want to do this?" asked Trini.  The ex-Yellow Ranger looked worriedly at the Gold Ranger.

Marie nodded.  "I'm sure.  I already told Jason that this is something I have to do.  Please don't deny me this."

TJ frowned and turned to look at Astronema.  "You can mask three teleport signatures?"

The Amethyst Ranger nodded.  "Yeah.  If I can keep Dark Specter from knowing about this conversation, I can mask three teleport signatures."  She looked over TJ to Marie.  "Marie, I know how much Zhane meant to you.  I....  I'm sorry."

Marie forced the tears away from her eyes as she looked at Astronema.  "Yeah, I know you are."  She turned away to look at TJ.  "So, when do we leave?"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Are you alright?"  The picture on the screen was fuzzy, as was the voice that came with it.  Carlos had tried to boost the signal as best as he could, but there were limits to the small communicator that he was using.  He felt a little guilty about using it at a time like this, but he had to talk to her.  It had been awhile since he had last spoken with his wife Kahva and right now he had something very important to tell her. 

"I'm fine," he replied, noting the worry in his wife's voice.  "Cyndra has stopped raining Quantrons down on the Earth and there have been no more monsters or foot soldiers in the area.  I'll move onto another area soon.  But…. I had to talk to you first.  I wanted to tell you something."  He paused for a moment.  "He contacted me."

Kahva immediately knew whom Carlos was talking about.  "What?  How?"

Carlos shook his head.  "He came and helped me battle some Quantrons.  He acted like he wasn't under Dark Specter's control anymore.  He said he wanted to make amends.  I didn't know what to think.  So I told him that I couldn't forgive him."

"I would have done the same," Kahva replied immediately.  Even through the fuzzy communications, the Black Ranger could hear the hatred in his wife's voice.  "He killed our baby!  He tried to destroy our home!  I don't give a damn whether or not he was under Dark Specter's control then.  What he did was evil and apologizing will not give us back what we lost."

"I know, I know," Carlos responded, trying to soothe his wife.  "But I felt I had to tell you anyway.  I have to go now."

"I understand," she said, her voice having become quiet again.  "But Ranger powers or not, please be careful my love.  I do not want to lose you."

"I will."  With that, Carlos shut down the communicator he had been using.  He sighed, feeling a somewhat guilty that he hadn't told Kahva everything.  _But with the way she reacted when I told her about Darkonda's visit, telling her about the message he sent me wouldn't have done any good._

He had been surprised to receive the message from Darkonda.  At first, he had thought it was a trick, but there hadn't been any trap that he could see.  Darkonda hadn't wanted to meet him or even talk.  All he had done was explain what he had been doing the last years that he hadn't been under Dark Specter's control, and apologizing for all the pain that he had caused his son and his family.

But like Kahva, Carlos wasn't sure if he could ever forgive his father for the things he had done.  There was just too much history between them for things to ever be the same again.  But sometimes, he felt responsible for not trying harder to keep his father away from the Dark Specter's forces.  The maybe's swept through his mind many times, especially lately.  

_I don't know what I'll do now.  But maybe if I see him again, I will._  With that thought, Carlos put the matter out of his mind.  There were other things he had to take care of now and personal problems would have to wait until later.  

And I hope there is a later for me to deal with.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Astronema watched through her monitor the proceedings on board the bridge of the Astro Megaship.  Silently she listened as TJ tried to convince Marie not to join the mission.  But under Marie's heavy insistence, the Blue Ranger eventually gave in.  It hadn't made any difference to Astronema how many people would be teleporting on board the Dark Fortress.  If she had to, she could mask one hundred teleport signatures.  Astronema knew much about the Dark Fortress than Dark Specter had ever given her credit for.  He would never find out anything that was happening here.

She wasn't sure why she had said what she did to Marie.  _I guess, after Ecliptor, I can sympathize about losing someone I cared about.  Besides, I know what I saw in Marie's eyes; she blames me for Zhane's death.  It's not like she's wrong either.  After all, I'm the one who put the controlling spells on him on the first place._

_It's ridiculous.  I feel like I'm on the outside looking in.  I try to help, but it seems like I've made things worse.  Ecliptor is dead.  Zhane is dead._  Astronema looked at the silver ring on her finger.  _Who the hell was stupid enough to think I would make a good Power Ranger?_

"So, when do we leave?" asked Marie, forcing Astronema to pay attention again.

"As soon as I contact Billy," TJ said.  "He's still in London.  Astronema can teleport him from there to the Dark Fortress."

"Fine," Marie replied.  "I'll meet you at the jump tubes."  With that, the Gold Ranger left the bridge.

"Will she be alright?" asked Astronema as soon as she judged that Marie was out of earshot.  It was a question she had to ask.  The last thing she wanted was anyone else dying because of her.  

TJ frowned, pacing as he spoke.  "I hope so.  If I hadn't let her come, I know she would've snuck on board somehow.  At least this way, I can keep an eye on her."  He looked at Astronema.  "I'll let you know when we're ready to teleport.  Make sure you contact Billy please."

"That's fine," Astronema replied.  She flipped off the monitor, leaning back against her seat with a sigh.  She shook her head, trying to clear her mind of her previous thoughts.  But it was no use; they still plagued her.  

_So why was I chosen to take on the Amethyst powers?  I was once the Princess of Evil and heir to Dark Specter's throne.  I threw that all away when I went against Cyndra._  Astronema frowned.  _No, that's not right.  I threw my other self away when I took on the Amethyst powers.  The powers… they did something to me.  Wiped away my darkness?  No, that's not it exactly, but I know I'm not the same person as I was before._  She stared at her ring.

Just how much of how she acted was due to the Amethyst Powers?  Astronema knew that when she had joined up with the Rangers, her intentions had only been to stay with them long enough until she got her revenge.  She hadn't cared about the fact that Andros was her brother; after being without him for fifteen years, it hadn't mattered much to her to find him again.  And she certainly hadn't cared about the Rangers' mission to destroy Dark Specter.

_Why am I staying here?  I should just take this ship and hunt down Cyndra!  I should destroy her for what she did to me and to Ecliptor!_  She gripped her hand into a fist.  There was no turning back now.  She had pledged herself and this ship to the Power Rangers, and in all her life, Astronema had never went back on a promise.  But when this was all over….

When this is over, I'm coming for you Cyndra.

~ * ~  * ~ * ~

It was the cold water splashed onto his face that finally brought Billy back to consciousness.  He felt a small piece of cloth being pressed into his hand.  Gratefully, he used it to wipe the water off of his face.  He was lying on something hard that curved slightly under his back.  Touching it told him that it was made out of wood.  He groaned, blinking his eyes slowly, until the fuzziness cleared into a meaningful picture.  There was blue sky above him, telling him that he was still outside.  Suddenly, a face came into his view.

"Zack," Billy said, his voice croaking slightly.  "What happened?  The Quantrons?"  He started to get up, knowing that he would be needed in the fight.  It was then that he saw that he had been lying on a bench in a park near where he had been fighting the mechanized menace.  

"Whoa Billy," Zack pressed a hand against the Silver Ranger's chest.  "You don't have to worry about it.  We got the last of them before you collapsed.  I haven't seen any of them come back."

"Really?" asked Billy, more than a little surprised.  He had thought that Cyndra would continue pounding them with the metal goons for as long as she could.  But he knew that Zack wouldn't keep him out of the action if there weren't any danger around.

Zack nodded.  "Yeah really.  Relax."

Billy let out another groan as he laid head back on the bench.  "What happened?"

"Like I said," Zack began, "You and I were fighting those, Quantrons you called them?"  Billy nodded slightly, trying not to move his aching skull too much.  "Yeah so, we were just finishing off the last of them, when suddenly, you kind of demorphed."

"Wait a minute Zack," Billy interrupted, looking confused.  "How do I kind of demorph?"

"You phased I guess," Zack replied, looking unsure himself.  "You went from being morphed to demorphed and back again.  It was as if you couldn't keep yourself in your morphed state for too much longer."

"That would explain the headache," Billy sighed, placing a hand over his eyes.  "Argh, I should have expected this."

"What do you mean?" asked Zack.

"Oh yeah, I forgot that you didn't know.  It's the demorphing," Billy began to explain.  "It's like this," he held up his Triceratops morpher, which Zack could easily see still bore the damage done by Lord Zedd.  "You know the way morphing works; the morphers conduct the morphing energy from the Morphin' Grid into our bodies.  Normally, when the morphers are in perfect condition, there isn't a problem.  But since the morphers were damaged, they weren't conducting the morphing energy properly.  Eventually, they weren't able to conduct the power any longer and it stopped functioning.  And that, eventually, resulted in the power being ripped away from my body, instead of being sent back willingly."

"Which is why you collapsed," finished Zack.

"Precisely," Billy confirmed.  "I just hope the others…."  Suddenly, Billy's communicator beeped, cutting off whatever else he had been about to say.  Immediately, he fished into his pocket for his Silver Ranger morpher.  "Yes?"

"Billy, this is Astronema."  Billy frowned as he heard how cold Astronema's voice was.  "I'm on board the Dark Fortress.  TJ wants to set a mission to go to the Black Nova to try and rescue Zordon.  He wants you on the team.  Can you come?"

"Uh yeah," Billy replied, "Astronema, how did you get on board the Dark Fortress?"

There was a pause.  "Cyndra brought me on board.  She then killed Ecliptor and Zhane.  I drove her off of the ship."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Billy said, unsure of what else to say.  His mind immediately went to Marie; he knew that she would have been devastated by the news.  Billy wished that he could be there to help her.

"Thank you," came the quiet reply.  "I'm sure that you'll be relieved to know that you'll be able to use the Silver powers now with no further consequences."

"Yeah, I am glad to hear that," said Billy, more relieved than he was willing to admit.  His recent experience with the Triceratops powers was not something he wanted to repeat, although it had been nice to be back in blue even for a short while.  "I'll contact you in a few minutes for a teleport.  Billy out."  He looked over at Zack.  "Well, looks like I've got to go.  We may have a way to rescue Zordon."

"Billy man, that's great news, but are you sure that you can do this?  I mean, just a little while ago you could hardly stand up.  Now you're off on a rescue mission?"  Zack frowned.  "You going to be okay?"

Billy sat up, turning so that his feet were now on the ground.  He looked Zack in the eyes.  "It wouldn't matter if I couldn't and you and I both know it.  We're Rangers and this is what we have to do, no matter what.  Even more, this is Zordon.  I am willing to suffer through anything to help him."

"So am I," Zack nodded in understanding, "So am I."  He held out his hand.  "Let's get you up then huh?"

The Silver Ranger gratefully took the hand of his friend.  Although he would never have admitted it, he did feel a little dizzy as soon as he stood up.  But the sensation soon passed.  As soon as Zack stepped back, Billy pressed a button on his morpher, opening communications to the Dark Fortress.  "Astronema, it's Billy.  I'm ready."  He looked at his friend and smiled, watching as the world faded away in a stream of silver light.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The room was dark.  It wasn't normally how Marie liked it, but these weren't normal circumstances.  She needed her surroundings to be dark, so that she could continue on with what she had to do.  To have light would be to shine it upon the reality of what had happened, of what she knew she was avoiding.  At least the darkness hid it, even if it was only for a little while.

She had started this journey almost four years ago to avenge her people.  It was almost a year ago that she had discovered that both Zhane and Andros were alive.  One had become an evil Ranger, the other a Ranger with powers alien to her own.  But then, she hadn't been the same Gold Ranger they had known either.  She had discovered new friends, new love and perhaps, another place to call home.

Marie had fought so hard to try and get Zhane back.  Even when I thought the Red Ranger was Andros, all I had wanted was for my 'brother' to come back to me.  She closed her eyes, feeling the tears run down her face, remembering how she and Andros had called each other 'brother' and 'sister' because of their telepathic bond.  It had been a silly joke, one that had taken on a greater significance in the war against Dark Specter.

If only….

'If only' was a phrase she had repeated to herself many times over the past four years.  Now she was repeating it to herself again.  If only I had been able to hunt down Dark Specter and Astronema and free Zhane.  If only I could have gotten onto the Dark Fortress while it was orbiting Earth.  If only I could have made him see the truth before….

Before he died.

The tears came rushing down now, as a sob escaped her throat.  The dark no longer helped; she could no longer escape.  The truth was out.  Zhane was dead.  She hadn't been able to help him.  Now all she could do was continue on with her plan of vengeance.  She would destroy the monsters that took away her home, her family and her friends.  And she would begin by going on board the Black Nova and destroying Dark Specter and all that he stood for.  

*I wish that you could come too.*  She sent the tendril of thought towards Andros.  

*I wish I could too.  But you'll be enough for the both of us.  Besides, your soulmate is going and mine is staying here.  Where do you think I'll be?*  Marie could hear the amusement in Andros' tone, laced with worry for her.  *I know I really don't have to say this, but I will.  Be careful.  Dark Specter has not gotten any weaker these past years. *

*Neither have I, * she replied grimly, *Neither have I. *

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

It didn't take long for the small team to gather on board the Dark Fortress.  Billy had arrived just after TJ and Marie had teleported onto the bridge.  So far, it seemed as if Dark Specter hadn't detected anything.  TJ silently thanked whatever deity was listening for the small favours.  Now the next step was to get the four of them on board the Black Nova without detection.

"That's not going to be easy to do," Astronema said.  "If I try to dock the Dark Fortress onto the Black Nova, Dark Specter will definitely want to know why Cyndra is bringing it in."

"Is there any way that you could disguise yourself to look like Cyndra?" asked Billy.  It was obvious that the Silver Ranger had been told about Zhane's death.  He continued to look at Marie, as if checking to make sure that the Gold Ranger wouldn't fall apart.  Unfortunately, Marie kept ignoring him, as if to keep her focus on the mission ahead.

"I could try," Astronema replied, "But you're assuming that he wouldn't be able to see through the magical disguise."  She shook her head.  "But I don't see any other way to do this."

TJ frowned.  He didn't like the idea, but Astronema was right.  They didn't have a lot of time to discuss other options.  It was now or never that they do this.  Their window of opportunity was closing fast.  "Fine, that's the way we'll go."  He looked at Astronema.  "I'm sure that you can pull off a convincing job."

She nodded.  "I'll have to, won't I?"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Dark Specter was the master of the universe.  At least, he knew that he soon would be.  There was no question that once Earth submitted to the power of Dark Specter, all the other planets would soon follow.  Somehow, the little mudball planet had made itself a beacon of such sickening things as hope and freedom against all things evil.  The other little planets were taking refuge from the fact that Earth, despite the continued onslaught of Quantrons and monsters, still continued to stand.  But once Earth was gone…

It was all Zordon's fault.  Earthers were notoriously stupid beings, never being able to resist surrendering to their curiosity.  Their technology had been sub-par and there hadn't even been a global government!  Once Rita was released from her prison, it would never have been a problem for her to take over Earth, if that stupid Eltarian hadn't decided to bring Power Rangers into the picture.  If it hadn't been for those colour coated heroes, Dark Specter knew that Earth would have been his by now.  He glared at Zordon, still entombed in the time-warp prison in one of the lower dungeon areas of the Black Nova.

"This little battle will be over soon enough," he declared, more to reassure himself of that fact than trying to demoralize the Morphin' Master.  He had seen the fights; they were more even than he would have liked.  Dark Specter couldn't believe just how many Rangers inhabited the damned planet.  There was practically one wherever you turned!

"Do you really think so?" Zordon's voice floated weakly into the silence.  That was one thing he had to be grateful for, that his drain on Zordon's life energy was still going strong.  It wouldn't be long before he finally drained the last of it away, leaving him more powerful than before and Zordon a crippled shell of his former self.  But while he still had energy, the Eltarian wizard continued to irritate him.  

Zordon continued to speak.  "Perhaps you are trying to convince yourself that you will win this battle Dark Specter.  My Rangers have proven more than once that they can survive anything.  This is no different.  They are fighting back and will continue to do so until their very last breath."

"Then I will crush them all!!" Dark Specter roared, hating how astute the Eltarian wizard was, "Those humans have nothing against my army!  They are overgrown children, barely trained in how to use their powers.  I will destroy them Zordon, just you wait and see."

Before Zordon could reply, the communication signal sounded.  "Who is it?" Dark Specter demanded.

"It is Cyndra my lord, I wish to speak with you."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Ashley was trapped.  The cage of darkness encircled her soul, keeping her true self trapped within her own mind.  She had tried everything she could in order to escape, but nothing worked, neither physical force nor her weapons.  Her prison was just too strong.  She couldn't do anything to stop herself, her body from doing what the 'other' self wanted.  That wasn't to say that she couldn't see into the outside world.  Yet, what one might have considered a piece of freedom, Ashley considered torture.  

She was unable to prevent herself from doing the things that Cyndra commanded.  All she could do was watch as she battled against her friends, destroyed her home and went to bed with a man she didn't even know.  The feelings that came associated with those actions sickened Ashley.  She couldn't believe the pleasure she experienced doing those things.  How could any part of this really be her?  

Into the silent darkness she screamed the question.  

From the silent darkness, came the answer.

*How can it not be you?  You were the one who accepted the lies that the spell fed you.  You believed that you're friends had abandoned you.  You were the one who embraced the call of the darkness.  Why become so adamant about fighting it now?  Why not accept what you allowed yourself to become?*

Because it is not me!

Ashley repeated that last phrase to herself, over and over.  It was the only thing that she could hold onto that made her feel more human, more herself.  But the doubts and the questions continued to gnaw at her, prying at her defences.  How much longer would she be able to survive the onslaught, she didn't know.  Ashley knew that sooner or later, all her walls would come tumbling down and the darkness would be able to completely consume her.  Then, whatever remained of her 'self' would truly be lost.

At least, that was what she had thought before that last battle against Cassie.  She had watched from within her prison, praying to herself that Cassie would somehow be able to prevail.  But she knew the mind and emotions of her 'other'.  That 'other' had been fully prepared to destroy the Pink Ranger, by whatever means necessary.  The Psycho Ranger's weapons had been ready to cut through flesh, to taste Cassie's blood.  But then there had been this flash of something that Ashley couldn't identify.  All she did see what this golden light.  She had felt it cut through the darkness, breaking through to free her from her prison.  

And now, she could feel herself slowly returning to her body.  The darkness was crumbling away and she continued to fight her way through.  Soon, very soon, she would be able to come back.  Then, it would be time to make amends for what she had done.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"I don't believe it," muttered Astronema as soon as she closed the communication channel and removed her disguise.  "He bought it.  He actually believed that I was Cyndra."

"Well let's not waste our good luck," TJ said, "We have to get on board the Black Nova."

Astronema shook her head.  "Right."  Though still dazed by the fact that her disguise had worked, Astronema managed to pilot the Dark Fortress onto the docking bay of the Black Nova.  The conversation between her and Dark Specter had been thankfully short, consisting of her requesting permission to bring her ship on board his.  Astronema had kept waiting for the lava monster to shoot her ship down, sensing that she wasn't really his granddaughter.  But amazingly enough, Billy's idea had worked.

The docking procedure was quickly finished and Astronema set the computer to standby.  She looked at the others.  "So now what?"

"You're going to disguise yourself as Cyndra again," TJ answered, "You should be able to fool the Quantrons' sensors, right?"  She nodded.  "Good, you'll disguise us as Quantrons too.  I had thought of using invisibility, but Cyndra is already expected to come out and there's no point in making you do two different spells.  Can you do the disguises?"

Astronema frowned, wondering how much of her resources TJ's request would require.  "Yes, but not for very long.  Holding up four disguises may be easier than doing two different spells, but it's still a big drain.  We're going to have to get to the lower decks really quickly.  And I'm not going to be of much help to you once we find Zordon."

"Then I'll just have to be quick about breaking Zordon loose," Billy nodded.  He was now back in his Silver suit, standing beside Marie.  "Since I already have the basic codes from you Astronema, it shouldn't be too hard."

"And we'll be standing guard while you do it," Marie said, speaking up for the first time since she had arrived on board the Dark Fortress.  The Gold Ranger had been silent, spending her time examining the ship.  Astronema knew why.  This had been the ship that had given birth to the Red Ranger.  Both Astronema and Cyndra had made a slave of him here.  The Dark Fortress had also been the place of the Red Ranger's death.  There were many memories connected to Zhane here.  All of them had been connected to evil.  Marie pressed a hand on Billy's arm.  "I won't let anything happen to you."  The Kerovian's emerald eyes were dark and Astronema knew that trouble would come to anyone who tried to harm Billy.

"So we have a plan," TJ said, thumping his fist into his hand.  He looked at each of the others.   "Good then, let's get going.  And let's hope that we don't run into any trouble."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"You're worried about both of them aren't you?" asked Cassie, as she laid her left arm around Andros' shoulders.  She was happy that she and Andros could have a little bit of private time together, despite everything that was going on.  Ashley was still unconscious on the opposite bed and Jason had left the Med Bay earlier to check on Trini. 

Andros nodded, capturing Cassie's hand in one of his own.  "The only two sisters I have left in this universe are on the Dark Nova right now, rescuing Zordon."  He looked into Cassie's eyes.  "I don't want to leave you here, but I just have this feeling that it should be me on board helping to free Zordon."

Cassie squeezed Andros' hand.  "It's hard being the ones left behind," she said quietly.  "We're the ones left with the worrying and can only hope that our friends will return to us safely."  She bit her lip.  "There's no telling what's going to happen over there."

He closed his eyes.  "They're on the Black Nova now.  So far, they're safe."

The Pink Ranger chuckled lightly, "Okay, so then there is a way to check up on them."

"It's not easy having it though," Andros replied, opening his eyes.  "Marie keeps trying to shut me out and I can barely read Karone's surface thoughts.  It's hard when you know that they are in danger and can't do anything to help them."

"They'll be kept safe my love," Cassie said, "We have to believe that.  It's the only thing we can do."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Zordon heard the door to his cell open once more.  What does he want now?  I thought Dark Specter would have been satisfied talking my ear off for now.  Having heard that Cyndra was coming on board, the lava monster had left for the bridge.  I guess he wanted to bring her here, show off the 'old man in the tube'.  But I know it won't be for much longer.  That time in the future that I saw, I know it's coming closer.  It's practically here….

"Zordon?"

His head jerked up as he heard the voice; it wasn't Dark Specter's.  Through the haze of the time warp, he saw four figures enter the room.  One, he recognized as Cyndra, Dark Specter's granddaughter.  The other three were Quantrons.  Or so he thought.  As he peered closer, he noticed a residue of magic around the four of them.  From Cyndra, he would have expected, because she was a mage, but from the three mechanical foot soldiers?  

"Finally," Cyndra said, sounding relieved.  She then turned to the Quantrons, "I'm taking the spell off now.  I'm going to redirect the energy to blacking out the cameras."  With a flick of her hands, the four figures melted away, revealing four Power Rangers.

He was momentarily surprised, but immediately remembered the visions that he had seen.  So, this was how he would escape.  It had certainly been clever of the Rangers to use magical disguises to get on board the Black Nova.  It wasn't an option often available to Rangers, as very few of them were ever mages.  It didn't take long for Zordon to discover the identities of each of the Rangers.  As a Morphin Master, if he had met any of the Rangers out of uniform before, he would immediately know who they were underneath the helmets.

One of the Rangers' identities greatly surprised him.  Not only was it because he had last known Astromena as Dark Specter's warrior, but it was the fact that she was wearing the Amethyst Ranger Powers.  The Crystal Powers of Ithta were very powerful and very special.  Zordon knew that whatever power created those particular Rangers was extremely selective.  Very few in the universe ever had the privilege of wearing them.  So how was it that Astronema, known to him as the Princess of Evil, had obtained those particular Ranger powers?  But any questions about the Amethyst Rangers' origin would have to wait.  He had to be freed from this prison first, before Dark Specter decided to return.

"It is good to see you," he said, hoping his voice didn't sound too fatigued.  He had never liked to show weakness in front of his charges.  He knew that looked up to him and he didn't want to let them down by showing how feeble he currently was.

"It's great to see you too Zordon," Billy replied, already working at the controls to the time warp tube.  "The controls don't look too difficult," he continued, his fingers flying across the panel.  "I should be able to have you out of there soon."

"Thank you Billy," Zordon replied.  He didn't trust himself to say anymore.  Despite the fact that he knew about his own fate, Zordon knew that he couldn't tell any of the Rangers.  They would try to 'save' me.  And at this point, I'm beyond saving.  I know what must be done.  I know what I have to do.  He waited patiently as Billy continued to fiddle with the controls.

"I've got it!" Billy suddenly exclaimed.  He hit one more button, and the door to time warp tube swung open.  The fog began to dissipate and Zordon staggered out into the awaiting arms of his Rangers.  

"Thank you Rangers," he said, looking at all of them, including Astronema.  The Amethyst Ranger looked uncomfortable being near him and was trying to edge herself away from the group.  "Thank you," Zordon repeated, "Including you, Astronema.  I would very much like to know how you obtained your current powers."

"We'd love to tell you the story Zordon, but we don't have time right now," TJ said, helping to lift the Eltarian to his feet.  "We have to get back to the Dark Fortress."

The other Rangers nodded in agreement.  It pleased Zordon that these four were able to work as a team, especially under such conditions.  I will miss them, all of them.  But my time has come.  I have been fighting this war for thousands of years now.  The time of the Old Ones has almost passed.  Soon, the Children will take our place.

"What a sickening scene," a deep voice suddenly growled.  Five heads turned towards the door, now shadowed by a large lava creature.  

"Dark Specter," hissed Astronema.  She tightened her grip on her staff, stepping forward to face her old master.

The leader of the United Alliance of Evil turned his gaze towards the Amethyst Ranger.  "Astronema," he identified.  "Traitorous bitch, did you really think your pathetic spell would go unnoticed by me?  You shall be the second to fall, after I take care of him."  His gaze had fallen back on Zordon.

The Morphin Master of Eltair lifted his head up, removing himself from the supporting arms of his Rangers.  Dark Specter was a good two heads taller than him, but he wasn't about to be intimidated by this overgrown lava pit!  He stepped in front of the group, despite the protests of the Rangers.  He looked up, his eyes glowing.  "You can try my old enemy, but you will not succeed.  My strength is returning, and I have enough left in me to face you."  Not entirely true, but the bluff would have to work until he could get the Rangers away.

"Zordon, you are not facing him alone," the hard voice he recognized as the Gold Astro Ranger.  He glanced back for a moment to see that she had taken out her Solar Sais.  It didn't take his empathic powers to see just how much hatred she had for Dark Specter and how willing she was to fight the lava monster.

"She's right."  The Blue Astro Ranger stepped up beside him.  He held his Astro Axe in his hands.  "We're Power Rangers, and we'll fight him, together."

"We're not losing you again," Billy added softly, brandishing his Super Silverizer.

"How sweet," sneered Dark Specter.  He glanced at the Amethyst Ranger again.  "Well Astronema, don't you have a speech of your own to add?  Now that you are a Ranger, I'm sure that it is part of the requirement."

"All I have to say to you is that I am no longer your creation," Astronema replied, pointing her Amethyst Staff at Dark Specter.  "I have finally seen the kind of destructive creature you are and have no wish to ever be like you.  In other words, I quit."

Dark Specter laughed.  "How wonderfully weak!  But then, you always were weak."  He looked at all of them.  "So, you all wish to face me?  Do so, and you shall feel the true power of Dark Specter!"

Zordon knew that he had to get the Rangers away.  He couldn't risk their lives, not when he knew that he wouldn't survive this encounter with Dark Specter.  He slowly began to gather his energy, enough to perform one very necessary spell.  He just had to keep everyone talking for a few moments longer.

"The power of good will always overcome the power of evil, Dark Specter," Zordon said, feeling the power of the spell course through him.  "You will not take over the universe, that I guarantee.  You no longer have my power to feed off of and my strength is equal to yours now.  There is no way that you would be able to take all of us on.  Not even your brother was able to withstand the strength of the Power Rangers."

"Are you finished with that long-winded speech?" demanded Dark Specter impatiently, his whole body glowing red-hot.  "If you don't mind, I do have a planet to conquer today."

"Oh, I'm done," Zordon replied as he whipped out his hands.  "Teltransparo!!"  The power of the spell encircled the four Power Rangers.  Before any of them knew what was happening, they vanished in a flash of white light.

"You took the children away," observed Dark Specter.  "Do you really think that will protect them once I get through with you?"  He pulled back his arm, opening up his hand to reveal the large fireball that suddenly appeared within it.

"I told you that I wouldn't let you take over this universe, and I mean to keep that promise," growled Zordon as he summoned a fireball of his own.  "Today is the day you shall die Dark Specter."  With that, he threw the massive ball of magical energy at his ancient enemy.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"No!!" Marie screamed as the four Rangers suddenly found themselves on the bridge of the Astro Megaship.  "He was so close!!  I almost….."  Her voice trailed off into muffled sobs as she collapsed into a nearby chair.  Billy was immediately by her side, putting an arm around her shaking shoulders.

"Guys?"  A surprised Jason stood in front of the group.  "What are you doing here?"

TJ, still feeling dazed, lifted off his helmet.  "It was Zordon.  We were about to fight Dark Specter.  And then…. He teleported us here with some sort of spell."  He looked at the viewscreen, which still showed the picture of the Black Nova.  "I can't believe he did that."  He wanted to go back there, to support Zordon in his fight against Dark Specter, but knew that he couldn't.  The only reason that they had gotten on board the Black Nova in the first place was because of the Dark Fortress, which was still in the docking bay of Dark Specter's ship.

"Oh my god," whispered Trini, clapping a hand to her mouth.  She too, looked towards the viewscreen.  "Zordon…."

The room became suddenly silent, as they all realized what the outcome of the deadly battle between Zordon and Dark Specter.  The three Rangers who knew him best couldn't believe that their mentor would be willing to make such a huge sacrifice.  Yet, they knew that he would, because of what he had taught them.  The other two, not knowing Zordon so well, could only wonder how the universe would be able to survive without such a great being of good.

Without warning, the Black Nova suddenly exploded, sending out multitudes of shockwaves that crashed into the Megaship.  Everyone inside the ship was knocked off of their feet as the ship tumbled in the shockwave's wake.  More followed the first, continuing to send the Megaship spinning.  There was nothing that the Rangers could do except hold onto whatever they could get their hands on.

Finally, the ship stopped spinning.  One by one, everyone began to stand up.  Each wondered what had happened on board the Black Nova.  It was obvious by the sheer amount of destruction that no one had escaped that horrifying blast.  The final sacrifice had been made.  For a few long moments, no one spoke.  Then, the silence was broken with one simple question:

"What do we do now?"

No one knew how to answer that question.  But they all knew that it would have to be answered soon.  A great evil had been vanquished from the universe, and for the time being, this part of space was safe.  But there was still great work to be done.  The destruction left behind by Dark Specter's forces would have to be repaired, not only on Earth, but all the planets that the war had touched.  What was to be done with Dark Specter's forces would have to be decided by the Galactic Courts, but only after they were all found and arrested.  No, their work was not yet done.  But a major victory had been won by one of the greatest beings of good in the universe.  They knew that they could not allow Zordon's sacrfice to be in vain.  

Life continued on and so would they.  

**Second Author's Notes:**  Thank you so much for reading this!!  This is the not quite the end of the Renard D'Or series yet though.  There is still the epilogue to come, which should tie up any loose ends I've left behind.  I hope you've enjoyed this as much as I've enjoyed writing it.  ^_^


	12. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: **_As always, the characters of Power Rangers, no matter how badly I rearrange them, do not belong to me. ^_^   The characters Marie Fox and Cyndra belong to Greeneyes.  _

**Epilogue**

**By: Jade Daniels**

There was no such thing as a happy ending.  At least, not the kind of happy ending that came out of fairy tales, where no one got hurt physically or emotionally.  Those kind of endings always had the bad guys dead, the good guys living, with the hero in shining armour getting to be with his beloved and everyone in the whole land being blissfully happy and getting along like the best of friends.

Too bad real life wasn't like that.

Real life meant dealing with death and broken hearts.  It meant that someone's luck would run out.  It meant that not everything ended up the way you planned, and not always for the better.  TJ Johnson shook his head at his thoughts.  Happy endings that came out of the fairy tales came once in a blue moon, if ever.  All he could say about this adventure was that it was an ending.  An ending to a horror that he never thought he would see, or wanted to see again, in his lifetime.  It was an ending that was better than most would have thought, considering the circumstances that had led to this conclusion.

In the Blue Astro Ranger's opinion, there had been too many sacrifices.  One life was too many.  But it hadn't just been one.  There hadn't been many here on Earth, but there had been more than enough.  And those deaths had been a small part of the total tally of the billions that had been counted across the galaxy.  Dark Specter's forces had managed to ravage through too many planets.  But none of those deaths had impacted like the deaths of Zhane, Ecliptor and Zordon.  At least, not for the Power Rangers of Earth and Kerova.

TJ sighed, remembering.  Andros and Marie had taken Zhane's death very hard, especially Marie.  It was obvious that the former Silver Ranger had meant a lot to her.  There had been times when the Blue Ranger thought that she would never come out of her depression.  It had taken her so long to recover from it.  Even though he had never known the Silver Kerovian Ranger, TJ felt like he knew him, from the many stories that Andros and Marie eventually told about their friend.  He had been a big part of their lives.  And he had been their true mission, to save him from Cyndra's control.  And in the end, they thought it had been for nothing.

_At least they had Cassie and Billy to help them through those few months.  Otherwise.... I don't want to think what might have happened otherwise._

Then there was also Zordon.  TJ remembered wondering how the Rangers would get along without him.  After all, he had been a part of many of their lives.  To suddenly be without him, it had almost been unthinkable.  There were so many more things that he could have accomplished….  But in the end, Zordon had given the universe a greater gift than any of them could ever have imagined.  With his death, a great magic had been set free, one that helped to wipe away the darkness and evil that Dark Specter had brought upon many people.

Lord Zedd, Rita, Scorpina and Divatox were all examples of that freedom.  None of the Rangers had ever known that these villains had long ago been corrupted by Dark Specter's evil.  Now that the evil had been washed away, they now had a second chance at making a life for themselves.  With the eventual blessings of the Galactic Courts, Zedd, Rita and Scorpina were now living their lives on Earth.  Divatox, after it was discovered that she was the sister of Dimitria, was now spending time on Inquirius.

Life continued.

Yet even though life continued, there was still time to remember, and to celebrate the victory.  It was the one-year anniversary of the victory of the Day of Victory.  The intergalactic reporters had dubbed the name, mostly as a mockery to Dark Specter's name of the "Day of Destruction".  The Rangers, along with their friends and family were holding a small celebration of that anniversary.  It was an anniversary that held memories for many people and they were all here today.

TJ looked around the room, watching the different people that had come.  There was music floating softly throughout the room, gentle enough to not be intrusive.  It was a beautiful song, one that had been written by Cassie.  Over the past year she had been gaining fame as a singer and songwriter.  The Blue Ranger saw her talking with Andros.  They looked very much like a couple in love, having gotten engaged just a month ago.  They wouldn't be married for a few more years yet, at least, not until Cassie finished school at Angel Grove University.  Even a year later, TJ still felt a slight twinge of jealousy when he looked at them, but it was no longer the all-consuming hatred that it had once been.  He was happy for the two them and knew that he could get on with his own life.

His gaze turned towards some of the ex-Rangers that were standing together in a group, separated from the others.  TJ could understand why.  They had known Zordon best and could only really share their memories of the Morphin' Master with each other.  There was Jason and Trini Scott, newly married a few months ago.  Standing with them were Rocky DeSantos, Zack Taylor, Tommy Oliver and Adam Park.

As he continued looked around the room, he saw a few of the other couples that had come.  He spied Carlos talking with his wife Kahva.  She was a sparkling beautiful woman who was truly the perfect compliment to the Black Ranger.  It had been a shock when Carlos had told the Astro Rangers that he wasn't human.  But considering how many different species they had already met, the shock had worn off quickly.  

TJ saw that Ashley was standing by herself.  That wasn't a big surprise to him; her experience as the Yellow Psycho Ranger had left her badly scarred, inside and out.  TJ knew that Ashley still felt guilty about what she had done as the Yellow Psycho Ranger.  Even after a year, she still was unwilling to be with anyone other than her friends.  No one knew what to do, except be her friend and give the Yellow Ranger the space she needed.  As clichéd as it sounded, TJ realized that only time would be able to heal her wounds.

There was another group of former Rangers: two Pink and two Yellow.  Kimberly Harte, Tanya Sloane, Katherine Hilliard and Aisha Campbell were standing together, slightly apart from the other groups.  Near them were Billy and Marie.  Those two had just come back from a visit to Aquitar.  They were looking very happy and in love.  TJ thought it was the happiest that he had seen Marie in a long time.  Of course, the rings on their fingers might have had something to do with it.

"Life always goes on," he whispered to himself, just amazed to see such a sight.

"Yes it does," a soft voice replied, as a hand lay on his shoulder.  TJ looked up into the brilliant violet eyes of Karone, who no longer referred to herself as Astronema.  Like with the other former villains, Zordon's magic had affected her as well.  As always, it amazed TJ to see such a change in the Amethyst Ranger, now that Zordon's power had burned the last bit darkness from her that the Amethyst Power had not.  With that last fragment of evil gone, Astronema had vanished, leaving behind Karone.  Although she would never be the woman she could have become had Dark Specter's evil not touched her, she had now gained a sense of lightness that hadn't been a part of her before.  

 "Time doesn't stop for anyone, not even the great Zordon."  She smiled gently.

"Reading my mind again?" he asked wryly.  She shrugged, obviously unwilling to answer.  He smiled at her silence.  "You know, only you would say that.  The Day wasn't exactly a minor incident you know.  It affected not only just this world, but hundreds of others."

"It's been a year since then though," she reminded him, crossing her arms.  The sternness in her violet eyes softened.  "I know it sounds harsh, but you can't just wallow in the past.  Today is a time to remember what happened, yes, but the past can't just rule your life.  If you let it, you'll never live."  She waved her hand, letting the gesture encompass the entire room.  "That's what all of us are here for, to remember, but also to celebrate.  To let those memories bring us peace."

"I know," TJ replied with a shake of his head, "But it doesn't change the fact that there were deaths.  Deaths that we couldn't stop."  He couldn't help but think of all the destruction that had happened.  Aquitar.  Eltar.  Kerova.  Earth.

"No, it doesn't," admitted Karone, a flicker of sadness crossing her eyes.  He winced inwardly, having forgotten she had lost someone she cared about as well, Ecliptor.  "But even though there were thousands of deaths, billions of lives were saved.  That's got to count for something."  She let out an exasperated breath.  "Look TJ, you're one of my best friends, but even I will use whatever power is at my disposal to get you to have some fun tonight."  She held out a hand towards him.  "Dance with me?"  She tilted her head towards the empty dance floor.

He smiled and took her outstretched hand.  "Your wish is my command."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

With watchful eyes Andros watched as TJ and Karone stepped out onto the dance floor.  Those two looked very close; Andros remembered that they had been ever since Karone had helped the Blue Ranger get through the Passion Fever spell.  As he continued to watch them, he had to wonder if there was something going on between them that he should know about.

"Andros, will you stop watching them?"  Cassie's teasing voice drew his attention back to his fiancée.  As always, he felt a delicious delight as he looked upon the woman of his dreams.  Her brown eyes sparkled with amusement as a teasing smile played upon her oval face.

"I'm not watching them!" he protested.  His own lips formed a smile as he drew Cassie into his arms.  "I'm watching you."

She laughed, threading her arms around his neck.  "Right."  She tilted her head back as she looked up at him.  "So you're not being the nosy big brother who doesn't know when to keep his nose out of his sister's business."

"Okay, okay," relented Andros with a sigh as he glanced back at the dancing couple.  "But are they…..?"  His voice trailed off as he continued to watch them.

Cassie shrugged.  "I honestly can't tell you.  Your sister hasn't told me anything about her love life lately.  I think she knows how overprotective you can be sometimes.  Come on honey; stop worrying.  Karone is a big girl and _if_ she is seeing TJ, well, he is a good man."

"I guess I am being dumb, aren't I?" he asked with a wry smile.  

"You were just being a big brother," she said, laying her head on his chest.  He smiled, dropping a kiss onto her head as he drank in the scent coming from her ebony locks.  It was times like these that he felt just so lucky to have this woman in his life.  He had been very lucky this past year, despite everything that had happened.

"You know, there was a time when I never thought I'd hear that said to me," he whispered.  He felt her stiffen within his arms and knew that she was remembering what had happened after Zhane and Zordon's deaths.  

It had taken him a long time to get over both of their deaths, especially Zhane's.  Zhane had been part of the small family that had been the Kerovian Power Rangers.  It had been bad enough when he had returned to Kerova to find the others gone, but Zhane….  Zhane had been his brother.  Andros could still remember how the platinum haired Silver Ranger had been the life of any party.  Zhane's charisma just soaked into any room, charming anyone and everyone he met.  He had been the one who had made them laugh during times when there was nothing they could do but cry.  But those memories were no longer tinged with the heavy grief he had felt before.  Andros knew that Cassie had been worried about him during that time, thinking that he might never get over it.  If it hadn't been for her, Marie and Karone, he might never have.  

"I do know," Cassie finally said.  Considering how many times he had lamented to the Pink Ranger about not being able to find his sister, then finding her but having her so far away mentally, Andros knew that Cassie did know.  "It's amazing how far she's come in such a short time."  She followed his gaze to look at TJ and Karone.  They were a handsome couple.  Karone's currently purple hair fell in a curly waterfall down her back, a stunning contrast to the short black dress that she wore.  TJ was in a simple blue shirt, matched with a pair of black pants.

Cassie was right about how far Karone had come.  A year ago, she had kept her mind locked away from him, whereas now, she was willing to share a mental rapport with him.  He knew much of it was because of the cleansing that Zordon had done for her.  Andros knew that he owed much to the Morphin' Master for having his sister back in his life.

"You're brooding again," Cassie noted.  Andros saw that she was looking at him again.  The teasing smile was back on her face.  Before he could make any comment, she was dragging him towards the dance floor.  "I think your sister had the right idea.  Let's dance."

Andros chuckled, letting her drag him along.  Cassie was the real treasure in his life.  She was his other half, his lifeline, his love.  "I love you Cassie," he said as they started to dance. 

"I love you too," she replied, drawing his head down for a kiss.  As he held her in his arms, Andros knew that he would never let this woman go.  

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Billy smiled in remembrance as he looked at the woman sitting beside him.  _It's been almost two years since we met._  The Silver Ranger used his free hand to trail his fingers through Marie's red hair.  Now that they were no longer active Rangers, she had allowed her hair to grow longer. The auburn locks now traveled down to her waist.  _We both are so different from who we were two years ago. _

_Marie was such a tough person then, with walls a mile high built up around her heart.  All she thought about, all she cared about was vengeance and destroying Dark Specter.  Her world, her family, her entire life had been taken away from her.  Revenge was all that she had left.  She wasn't Marie back then, all she was the Gold Astro Ranger.  _

_But now?  Now, she's softer.  Still tough, but softer in so many ways.  I don't think she ever expected to make friends with the rest of us.  I don't think she expected to be friends with me, much less become....  A lot of it was when Andros came back into her life, I know, but I think, it started before that too.  I think she's returned to being the person she was before Dark Specter came to Kerova.  She has everything again.  She has family.  She has friends.  She has a new life and a new purpose.  And.... she has me._

Billy gathered the Gold Ranger into his arms.  Her eyes were closed as he held her beside him.  He knew that she was still tired from the trip back from Aquitar.  His eyes took in every detail of her face that he could see in the fading sunlight from the window they were sitting beside.  _This is what is meant by perfect love.  I know it is.  As cliche as it sounds, I truly feel like she is the other half of my soul.  I know I couldn't live without knowing that she was by my side.  And I know that I never want to be without her.  Two years ago, I never thought I would ever meet a woman like Marie.  But then, I never imagined I'd be able to take on Ranger powers again.  _

Billy smiled again at that particular memory, feeling the weight of his morpher in his pocket.  He hoped he wouldn't need it soon.  He was actually looking forward to retiring – a second time - from being a Ranger.  The Aquitarians had been approached by NASADA to help with a project called Terra Venture; a space colony that would bring hundreds of people out into space in search of a new home.  The Aquitarians in turn, had asked Billy to be their Earth liaison, a job that he really enjoyed doing.

_It's amazing how my world has been turned upside-down.  I went back to Earth, something I thought I would never do....  And I made peace with some haunting memories.  The future is looking pretty good, especially now that I have Marie by my side.  _

"What are you thinking of?"  Marie's emerald eyes had opened and were now staring into his blue ones.

Billy smiled.  "I was thinking of how lucky I am to be with you.  Of how amazing it is that you fell in love with me.  Of how I want to be with you from now, until the end of time.  Of how much, I love you."

Her soft hand caressed his face.  "Funny, I was thinking the exact same thing."  She looked at her hand, the one with the precious ring he had given to her on Aquitar.  He had a similar one on his own hand.  "Remember the words.  'With this ring is the promise that we will be bound by soul forever.  It is a reminder, a symbol, to remember the future.'"  

He nodded.  The words were from the binding ritual he had spoken to her when he had given her the ring.  It was a Kerovian custom, one that he had been very happy to do.  "With this ring is the promise that we will be bound by soul forever.  It is a reminder, a symbol, to remember the future," he repeated, his voice just a bit hoarse as he remembered the beach on Aquitar where he had proposed to her.  She had looked so beautiful then.  And when she had accepted the ring, he knew that he had been the happiest man alive at that moment.

Their lips met, neither noticing as the last sliver of sunlight faded away from the sky, or even the room around them.  

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"The two of them look very cute together," Kahva noted with an amused smile.  

Carlos followed his wife's gaze towards Billy and Marie.  The Silver and Gold Rangers looked very wrapped up in each other as the two stared out of the window.  He chuckled.  "Well, considering that they just got engaged, it's understandable."

"You're right," she nodded, with the amused smile still on her face.  "I remember what that feeling was like.  All giddy with not a care in the world except for the one you love."  Kahva turned to look at him.  "Thank you for bringing me here.  I'm glad I got to meet your friends."

"I'm glad you got to meet them too," Carlos replied with a grin.  The Rangers meeting his wife was something he had wanted to happen for a long time, ever since Karone had found him out.  He remembered how shocked the others had been when he had told them of his true origins.   The shock hadn't lasted long; the Rangers were experienced enough with other cultures to not really care about their own friend's origin, but it had been a surprise nonetheless.  Thankfully, them meeting Kahva had gone very smoothly on both sides.  "They really like you."

"I really like them too," Kahva said.  She tilted her head; a sign Carlos knew meant that she had something on her mind.  "Sol… Carlos, I know you spent a lot of time here, and for awhile, I had wondered what kept you on this planet."  She held up her hand as her husband tried to speak.  "Please, let me finish.  I think I know now what it was, besides your Ranger duties.  It was your friends.  It was this planet itself.  Am I right?"

Carlos was silent for a moment, contemplating his wife's words.  "Yes.  I love being here.  Even before I became a Turbo Ranger, I knew this planet was a good place to be.  The people here, despite their problems, are good and worthy of a chance to make better lives for themselves.  I've… I've come to consider this a home.  I'm going to be sorry to leave here."

"What if you could stay?" Kahva asked suddenly.

Carlos frowned as he looked into her eyes.  "Stay here?  What do you mean?"

"I mean, we could move here.  We've lived for so long back at home, perhaps it is time we consider building a new one?"  Kahva's eyes sparkled as she spoke.  "I think, right now, you belong here my love.  And I see no reason to tear you from this place."

"You would do that?" asked Carlos, unsure of what to think.  For Kahva, this would be a big sacrifice, leaving her home and all the friends she knew.

Kahva nodded.  "Yes, for you, I would.  Besides, it is not like I couldn't go back once in awhile, or even communicate with our friends and family.  It would not be a hardship to do that.  What would be a hardship is to live without you."  She scrunched her nose.  "A trifling thing to say, but it is true.  Besides, if it doesn't work out, there are always other options for us to explore."

Carlos could think of nothing else to say, except, "Thank you."  He tucked a hand under her chin, lifting her face up.  He smiled.  "I knew there was a reason I married you."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Ashley took another sip of her drink as she leaned back against her chair.  Her dark brown eyes scanned the room, watching everyone else either talking or dancing.  She smiled to herself.  It was the first time in months that she finally got to be alone.  Since she had awakened to find herself on board the Astro Megaship, the other Rangers had been constantly hovering over her.  Ashley knew that they were only concerned about her welfare, but sometimes she had to wonder if the others didn't think that maybe she might slip back into being an evil Ranger.  After all, no one really knew what had happened to Cyndra.  The bitch might still be out there, waiting for a chance to come back.

Ashley sighed, noting that this wasn't the first time her thoughts had turned down this path.  In fact, her mind had been dwelling on these thoughts more often of late.  Maybe it was because of the anniversary; it forced her to remember what she didn't want to.  The hatred.  The killing.  The destruction.  She had been an unwilling part of all of it.  Yet, she remembered that one part of her that had craved the hatred, killing and destruction.  Had that part of her been there before Cyndra had cast that spell on her?  Was it still a part of her now?

_If I don't know, how can I say I've recovered from Cyndra's spell?  Maybe the others are right.  Maybe I will become an evil Ranger again._  Despite the fact that she knew no one else had ever returned to being an evil Ranger, Ashley couldn't help but believe that sometimes.  It was the reason why she had lately been considering retiring as the Yellow Astro Ranger.  The past months hadn't brought too many major crisis, and those that had come, the others hadn't needed her help.  There were more than enough Rangers on the team now anyway, and there would be more, once it was decided who would get the Red Astro Morpher that Karone had taken from the Dark Fortress.

"Hey, can I sit here?"  Ashley looked up to see Cassie standing by the table, gesturing to the chair beside her.  

The Yellow Ranger nodded, watching as Cassie slid smoothly into the seat.  "Where's Andros?" 

Cassie chuckled.  "He's still not convinced that Karone is a big girl, so he's gone off to talk to her."  Her dark eyes turned serious.  "Besides, I wanted to talk to you."

"Another pep talk?"  The sarcastic words came out before Ashely could stop them.  She shook her head.  "I'm sorry Cass, it's just that…"

"You're tired of everyone hovering over you, telling you to cheer up?" the Pink Ranger guessed.  Ashley nodded.  "I can understand that.  When I was little, I had laryngitis just before this big audition I had wanted to try out for.  For weeks afterwards my parents and sibs gave me these pep talks to try and get me out of my depression."  She gave Ashley a small smile.  "Not the same thing I realize, but close?"

Ashley returned the smile.  "I guess."  She shook her head.  "I'm not depressed though Cassie.  You don't understand.  You can't.  No one ever made you an evil Ranger, not even for a few moments.  I felt this part of me that loved what I was doing as a Psycho Ranger.  Aren't Rangers supposed to be above that kind of thing?  It makes me wonder if I was the right person for the job after all."

"You are," Cassie said, in a tone that Ashley rarely heard from the Pink Ranger.  "You are the right person to be the Yellow Ranger.  Never doubt that!  Damn it Ash, you're a human being, with flaws just like the rest of us.  No one said that Power Rangers are supposed to be infallible or that they can't be selfish, or even have that tiny part of them that wants to be destructive.  We're not gods and we're not perfect.  You're not the only one who's been an evil Ranger.  I'm sure they've gone through the same thing as you.  And look at Karone.  She was the Princess of Evil!!  And now she's a Ranger, just like you."  She sighed.  "Sorry, forgot that you didn't want the pep talk.  But seriously Ashley, think about what I said, okay?"  

With that, she left Ashley alone, hoping she was leaving the Yellow Ranger with much to think about.  Cassie turned back once, to find Ashley walking towards the group of ex-Rangers, specifically towards Tommy Oliver.  The Pink Ranger smiled, knowing that this was a good first step for her friend.  It would be tough, and take a lot of time, but as Cassie watched Ashley, she thought that maybe now Ashley would be able to start over again.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Karone was without TJ, who had wandered off to go talk to Alpha and a young teen named Justin Stewart.  She was glad that the Blue Ranger had finally decided to have some fun, instead of brooding the night away on things that couldn't be changed.  Having been left alone, she went to the drinks table and poured herself a glass of juice.  She turned back around in time to see Andros walking towards her with a determined look on his face.  She laughed to herself, wondering if another 'big brother' talk was coming up.  Considering that she had just finished dancing with TJ, probably.

"Alright big brother, what do you want to talk to me about?" she asked as soon as he was in earshot.  She put up shields around her mind as she spoke.  It wasn't that she didn't trust Andros not to peek, but it was always a good precaution to do so.

His face betrayed his surprise that she had figured out his motive.  "I wanted to talk about you," he said lamely.

She rolled her eyes.  "Andros, I realize that we have only been siblings really for the past year, but I can tell that you have something more on your mind than just me."  She smiled slyly.  "Perhaps you were thinking on lecturing me about how I should be careful with the opposite sex or in the trials of love?  Andros, please, it was just a dance.  I wanted TJ to have some fun tonight."

Karone quietly kept in her mind that the last thing she required was a 'sex talk' from her big brother.  Being the Princess of Evil had meant that she had had numerous opportunities to cut a swath through the compatible males in Dark Specter's army.  Not that there had been many in the first place.  As Dark Specter's heir, many had often kept her at arm's length, which she never had too much trouble with.

"Karone," Andros' voice broke into her thoughts.  "I just want you to be happy.  I hope you understand that."  He frowned.  "It's not because I'm being… overbearing that you're planning on leaving, is it?"

She laughed.  "No, it isn't.  As much as I like Earth, I feel like I need to be somewhere else.  And I think that colony project that is it.  Besides, who better to help protect Terra Venture than a Power Ranger, huh?"  She shrugged.  "Cyndra is still out there Andros.  So are a lot of bad creatures that Zordon's magic didn't get rid of.  I can do more good out there than I can here.  There are more than enough Rangers here anyway.  And you still have me around for another few years before Terra Venture launches, so don't worry.  Who knows?  I might change my mind before then."

Even as she said that though, Karone knew how unlikely that would be.  One of the mental powers that had cropped up on her was clairvoyance.  In four years, she knew where would be; she would be on Terra Venture, ready to explore the universe again.  She looked at her brother, smiling at the word she never thought she'd use, sensing that he hated the thought of her leaving, even if it was going to be in a few years.  

*_Andros,*_  she tried once more, *_I'm not leaving you.  Well, I suppose I am, physically, but not really, not when we're only a thought away!  Please believe me when I say that this is something I have to do._*

_*I hate the thought of you leaving, you know I do,*_ Andros replied, confirming her earlier senses, _*I don't think I'm ever going to be happy about this.  I searched for you for many years and now, it seems like we haven't had enough time together.  But I do know that if you really feel like you have to do this, I'm not going to stop you.*_

_*Thank you,*_ she answered, giving him a peck on the cheek.  "Now come on," she said aloud, pulling him towards the dance floor.  "You're going to give me a dance."

The party trailed well into the night and it wasn't until late that the guests started getting ready to leave.  But before they went back to their corners of the world, there was one final thing that they had to do.

"A toast!"  Glasses were raised high into the air.  "To those who died.  To those who live.  To those who are willing to start over again, to make their lives better.  On this anniversary, we celebrate and remember.  To the Day of Victory!"

And they all had remembered and celebrated, knowing that their world was once again safe from the forces of evil in the universe.

**Author's Notes:**  _Well, that was it, the last chapter of Renard D'Or.  It's been a fun story to do, even if it did take me forever and a day to complete it.  It's my first, but not last, series, so I hope you forgive any and all plotholes, mistakes and anything else that might have come along the way.  I do hope you have enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.  Thanks to everyone who reviewed, commented or just plain read this.  ^_^  _

_Renard D'Or copywrited 2002 by Jade Daniels_


End file.
